Different paths
A little over three months ago, Creamline and Choco Mucho were trading kills and blocks in a tense battle for the PVL All-Filipino Conference crown.
The Cool Smashers won, pocketing their eighth crown and sending the Flying Titans looking for their first franchise title.
That hunt will continue.
While Creamline progressed to the quarterfinals of the Reinforced Conference, Choco Mucho was sent packing, an early exit hardly anyone expected from the one squad touted to challenge its sister team’s league dominance. And the Cool Smashers?
“We’re happy we got a win entering the quarterfinals, giving us momentum,” coach Sherwin Meneses said after the Cool Smashers slammed the doors on winless ZUS Coffee, 25-17, 25-15, 25-22, on Thursday at Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
Later in the day, PLDT shrugged off a slow first set to send Choco Mucho packing, 21-25, 25-18, 25-16, 25-19, and forge a quarterfinal matchup against Chery Tiggo.
The Flying Titans badly needed a victory to stay alive in the tournament, and looked like they found the urgency in the opening set.
Until the High Speed Hitters decided enough was enough.
“Coming to this game, [we knew] it was do-or-die [for Choco Mucho],” PLDT coach Rald Ricafort said. “Our mistake was we started stiff and slow. Our normal game came out in the second set and that’s the lesson we learned.”
“From the get-go, we have to be fast, we need to be aggressive right away.”
Elena Samoilenko connected on 27 attacks to finish with 30 points and added 13 excellent digs to secure the No. 4 spot for the High Speed Hitters, who finished the preliminary round with a 6-2 (win-loss) card.
“I just say every game, ‘I want to win.’ Today we didn’t have a good start, but after, we played how we can. We hope in the next game against Chery, we can win,” Samoilenko said.
Kiesha Bedonia turned heads with 16 points off 13 attacks and Erika Santos added 13 points. Majoy Baron had nine points, coming equally from attacks, blocks and aces. Kim Fajardo tossed 17 excellent sets as Kath Arado stopped the Flying Titans’ attacks with 21 excellent digs.
The High Speed Hitters’ most recent win set up a rematch against the Crossovers who defeated them last Saturday at Mall of Asia Arena.
But the story also centered on Choco Mucho, whose members declined interview requests.
With their sixth loss in eight games, the Flying Titans were a group that could not get over its manpower woes. Notably, top scorer Sisi Rondina is on loan to the national program.
And while other squads with national pool members managed to cobble a game plan to help them survive, Choco Mucho struggled. And as if to highlight that problem, Greek standout Zoi Faki was also sidelined for feeling under the weather.
Coach Dante Alinsunurin, meanwhile, was with the men’s Alas Pilipinas in the second leg of the SEA V.League in Indonesia.
Assistant coach Edjet Mabbayad called the shots for the Titans.
Dindin Santiago-Manabat, picked up in the offseason in a bid to shore up the team’s attack, was the only Titan to reach twin digits with 22 points.
Free pass
PLDT’s win gave a free pass to Farm Fresh, which advanced as the No. 8 seed that will tangle with unbeaten top seed Akari in the knockout quarterfinals.Creamline also dealt with manpower problems this conference.
The Cool Smashers were without Alyssa Valdez, Tots Carlos and Jema Galanza this conference.
But that did not change their outlook. “We’re still the same Creamline regardless of who is playing. We’ve been together for a long time so no problem for us. As coach said, we will keep on trusting each other,” setter Kyle Negrito said.
And she should know. Negrito picked up the playmaking chores for Creamline after starting setter Jia De Guzman opted to play abroad.
“The quarterfinals is the most important game for us so we have to be extra focused,” said Negrito.
There, Creamline will battle Petro Gazz, which locked up the No. 6 seed after smothering Chery Tiggo, 25-20, 25-16, 25-12, behind the 21 points of Wilma Salas.
MVP winner Brooke van Sickle added 12 points to help sink the Crossovers to No. 5—and into a quarterfinal battle against PLDT.
“Today, everyone did a good, best performance. I hope to continue this pace in the next game,” Angels coach Koji Tsuzurabara said.
“[We] are happy. We are a challenger. But before there is a difference before the game, we have to change our mind. We are a challenger. [Creamline] are the queens [and] very dangerous. Maybe I can’t sleep until the end,” Tsuzurabara added.
There will be some history and emotion in that showdown against Creamline. Salas and the late Janisa Johnson powered Petro Gazz in 2019 when they turned back the Cool Smashers in three games to win the Reinforced crown.
Salas was the Best Foreign Player in that conference while Johnson became the Finals MVP.
The Angels started the conference with a rough 1-3 card before turning things around to keep their title-retention bid alive with a four-game winning streak.
“[There is a] big difference [in the team] … I changed the team atmosphere [and the] offensive style. Wilma is a professional volleyball player. So, other players can learn how to have a professional attitude. So, they will change their mind [and] improve more,” Tsuzurabara said.
PH and South Korea: 75 years and counting