PVL: Creamline sweeps Choco Mucho in Valentine’s Day matchup

MANILA, Philippines—A jubilant Creamline defeated Choco Mucho on Valentine’s Day, 25-18, 25-13, 25-14, in the Premiere Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference at the Araneta Coliseum on Tuesday.

On a day where hearts are celebrated, the Cool Smashers apparently did not show against the Flying Titans to maintain an unblemished record at 3-0 and take the solo lead in the standings.

The reason for Creamline’s outstanding performance was the joy of facing the famous Choco Mucho, according to trainer Sherwin Meneses.

“At the beginning, I warned that this is Choco Mucho. It will be a good match, don’t think about the score and let’s play point by point. It’s true, in the third set, they chased us but it’s good that we recovered. The players are happy, they are excited to face the full line of Choco Mucho,” said Meneses in Filipino.

“But right now, we’re not complete [squad],” he added jokingly. The Cool Smashers continue to miss the services of Alyssa Valdez due to injury.

As in the previous set, the Cool Smashers opened the third with a high-voltage 11-3 start before Michelle Gumabao executed a long ball to end the rally at 11-4.

WATCH: Creamline coach Sherwin Meneses after sweeping Choco Mucho.

The Cool Smashers remain undefeated in the All-Filipino conference. #PVL2023 | @MeloFuertesINQ pic.twitter.com/eGbehAePgC

– INQUIRER Sports (@INQUIRERSports) February 14, 2023

The mistake turned into five straight points for the Flying Titans to pull away, 11-9, before Tots Carlos called a truce with a crosscourt kill, 12-9.

Choco Mucho, however, was unable to mount any comeback efforts, as the Cool Smashers extended a 23-14 lead before Ced Domingo scored back-to-back to seal the win.

It was the same story throughout the match with the Flying Titans trailing 23-12 in the second set. Cheng committed a net touch foul to bring the Cool Smashers within set point but Kat Tolentino kept Choco Mucho alive with a back row attack but Risa Sato ended any rally by closing out the set.

The first set was Creamline’s most challenging frame as the Cool Smashers committed seven unforced errors.

“We made a lot of service errors in the first set, and a lot of miscommunication in the next set. We met a lot because in our minds, we all wanted to keep moving and sometimes we lost communication,” said Jia De Guzman.

The Cool Smashers, however, still had a big lead at 23-17, before Gumabao brought them to set the point with a quick attack. Tots Carlos overcooked a potential set-sealing hit but Gumabao quickly closed the door with his own kill, 25-18.

Jema Galanza, Domingo and Gumabao all scored 15 points for the undefeated Cool Smashers. Setter de Guzman was also instrumental in winning with an impressive 25 sets with two match points.

Cheng and Kat Tolentino, who had just eight markers, were the leading scorers for the Flying Titans, who fell to a 1-2 record.

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