Creamline, Choco Mucho forge Finals rematch

It took a roller-coaster ride, but Creamline became the first squad to clinch a seat in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference Finals.

Following it there, not too far behind, was a familiar foe.

The Cool Smashers, who at some point in the conference had its title hopes on the line, pulled off a 25-16, 25-21, 25-20 victory over Chery Tiggo on Sunday, taking down the very team who snapped the 19-game winning run of the defending champions in the preliminary round.

“We are happy to reach the Finals again, but the job is not yet done,” coach Sherwin Meneses said in Filipino after the Cool Smashers improved to a 2-1 card in the roundrobin semifinals.

“Our target is to defend the crown so we would prepare again for whoever we will fight,” Meneses added.

To hit that target, Creamline will go through a team itching for some championship payback.

Choco Mucho outlasted Petro Gazz in the nightcap, 23-25, 26-24, 25-19, 25-20, as the Flying Titans earned a shot at avenging a previous Finals defeat to their sister squad.

Creamline and Choco Mucho also met in the Finals of the previous conference where the Cool Smashers prevailed via a sweep.

The Angels will face Chery Tiggo for the battle for bronze.

Tots Carlos powered Creamline with 16 points from 11 attacks, three blocks and the Cool Smashers’ only two aces. Alyssa Valdez added 10 points, nine coming from attacks, as she formed a 1-2 punch with Carlos.

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“We are happy to secure a spot in the championship,” Carlos said.

“We fought for every situation, for every point, and that’s what’s important,” Meneses said. “Win or lose, as long as we are ready for every situation because there are no weak teams anymore and that’s what we are preparing for every day because we can’t predict what will happen.”

That would be a very handy mindset for the seven-time champion Creamline as it meets its sister team. Choco Mucho owns a win over Creamline in this conference, the franchise’s first against the Cool Smashers, and the Flying Titans hope to draw from that experience when the championship begins on Thursday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

“Every day we need to have a champion mindset because coach tells us that we cannot control all of the situations which won’t be perfect or would always favor us,” Carlos said. INQ