Cool Smashers weather Belen onslaught for third straight win
Bella Belen still got her points.
But with Creamline shutting her down during important runs, the 10-time champions notched a third straight victory after blanking Capital1, 25-18, 26-24, 25-20, on Saturday in the PVL All-Filipino Conference at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
Belen finished with 26 points, but the Cool Smashers turned to the troika of Tots Carlos, Bernadeth Pons and Jema Galanza to match the Solar Spikers’ offensive juggernaut—who continues to rise despite facing defenses crafted specifically to shut her down.
“Controlling Bella was really one of our targets,” Creamline coach Sherwin Meneses said. “I’m happy because in her last few rotations, her scoring slowed down. Even if she scored in bunches earlier, what mattered was that we were able to stop her in the crucial points.”
It was the first meeting between Meneses and his former ward at National University, the program Belen led to three championships in four years and the multititled coach believes his team’s experience was enough to blunt the will and power of the three-time UAAP MVP.
“I think we were successful with our goal against her. But knowing Bella, she’ll never back down. It just came down to our team’s composure when facing her. I think we handled it well,” he said.
The turning point came in the second set.
Capital1 had a chance to tie the match at a set apiece after taking a 23-17 lead, but Creamline’s veteran nerves held well—Pons and Galanza joined hands in a rousing comeback that knocked the wind out of the Solar Spikers.
Belen refused to buckle, though, hauling Capital1 a 13-9 lead. But the veteran trio of Creamline proved too much as the Cool Smashers rose to 3-1 (win-loss) and tied idle Nxled and Cignal at second place.
Carlos and Pons led the way with 15 and 14 points, respectively. Galanza finished with 13 points, 10 excellent receptions and five digs.
“I think it’s really challenging to face Bella. Of course, Creamline works as a team, but she also carries her squad. Still, they can’t win if it’s just her alone,” said Galanza. “You can really see her fighting spirit. She’s the type of pro who never gives up and she’s the one who motivates her teammates. I’m just really happy for her because you can see how much she has grown and she’ll continue to grow even more in the pros.”
Jia De Guzman, who orchestrated the offense with 22 excellent sets against Belen and her Alas coach Jorge Souza De Brito, still lauded Belen for being very competitive and for showing maturity beyond her years.
“As much as we wanted to limit her scoring, we also expected that she would keep fighting and scoring until the end,” said De Guzman. “She’s different now. You can see the experience she gained, especially from her international stint and how she carries Capital1.
“With the help of her coaches, she’s blossoming into a more all-around player. That mindset of hers is really showing.”
Belen, for her part, felt a tinge of regret after several missed opportunities, especially in the second when they were two points away from tying the count.
“We had glimpses where we were really able to compete against Creamline Cool Smashers and that’s not easy. They’re a tough opponent with a lot of experience and their chemistry is already well-established. So I’m still happy that, somehow, our team showed that we could fight,” said Belen. “But it wasn’t enough. Like in the second set—we were just two points away and Creamline still managed to catch up. Everyone knows they’re capable of erasing big deficits.”
