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Creamline Cool Smashers’ Jema Galanza in the PVL All-Filipino Cup. -PHOTO PVL
Alyssa Valdez can rest easy, Creamline is great.
The Cool Smashers tore through their second straight opponent on Thursday, needing only 78 minutes to carve out a 25-16, 25-21, 25-15 victory over Cignal as the defending champions, this early, knew they could manage. Another title romp even with Valdez recovering from a knee injury.
The troika of Michelle Gumabao, Tots Carlos and Jema Galanza was more than enough to dominate the HD Spikers as Creamline went about their way and never came close to losing the plane for the second game in a row.
“We just didn’t rush it,” said Galanza, who scored 13 points. “We’re just doing what we’ve been doing (to prepare over the summer). We just want to play our best.”
Creamline had 48 kills in total, as Cignal never had a chance to convert at Filoil Ecooil Center in San Juan City with only 23.
Creamline will take the form of a blockbuster matchup with sister team Choco Mucho on Valentine’s Day, and coach Sherwin Meneses will be hoping to say the same way they have done in the first two games.
“This team played very well,” Meneses said in Filipino. “We also had some breaks, especially in the second set when Cignal rallied. We just hope we can play this way.
It was the second straight loss for the HD Spikers. He also lost to Petro Gazz last Tuesday.
Michelle got back up
While Valdez continued to recover and cheer his teammates off the bench, Gumabao continued to play well as a starter with 14 points, including two blocks, on top of eight digs.
Galanza, who was held to just six points in a straight-set win over Petro Gazz last Saturday, was hot, while two-time MVP Carlos also finished with 13 points and Ced Domingo added nine, including the game-clinching quick attack.
“I told them [in the second set] so focus on our game plan. Perform good service. Of course, we have veteran players. He knows how to recover,” Meneses added.
The Cool Smashers led by eight in the second set after Galanza started to heat up. But they lost steam, made errors that allowed HD Spikers to cut down the lead to three after Gel Cayuna’s ace.
Galanza stopped the bleeding with an off-the-block shot to reach set point, 24-20, but his serve came up short. Gumabao ended the set with a kill to take a two-set lead as Creamline never looked back in the third with a 12-point, 19-7 margin after Jia De Guzman’s ace.
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