MANILA, Philippines – The Creamline Cool Smashers booked a semifinal slot after cruising to a straight-set win over Motolite, 25-15, 25-20, 25-23, in the 2019 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Reinforced Conference on Wednesday, June 19, at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan. 

After dropping their opening game against PetroGazz, Creamline strung up 6 straight wins to claim solo 2nd as the Cool Smashers also spoiled the return of Myla Pablo.

Imports Aleoscar Blanco and Kuttika Kaewpin scored 13 points each to lead the Cool Smashers while Jia Morado dished out 26 excellent sets. 

With the presence of Pablo – who debuted with 3 points – the young Motolite team managed to keep up with the defending champions, but Creamline took control down the stretch of the first two sets. 

Motolite built on a 4-0 start in the 3rd set to lead 8-3 by the first technical timeout. 

The Creamline imports, however, led the team rally to knot the score at 14-all before pulling away late in the final frame to seal the win. 

Channon Thompson led Motolite with 15 points and 13 excellent receptions while Krystel Esdelle chipped in 14 points.

The Power Builders slipped to a 2-5 record in the standings. 

Earlier, the Pacifictown Army Lady Troopers solidified their hold of the 3rd spot with a straight-set win, 25-21, 25-20, 25-21, over Balipure. 

Olena Lymareva-Flink’s 15 points catapulted the Lady Troopers to a 4-3 slate in the standings. 

After losing the first two sets, Balipure had an early spark that pushed them to 18-14 lead in the 3rd set. The Lady Troopers rallied back to tie the score at 19-all and eventually pulled away to seal the win. 

Danijela Dzakovic and Alexandra Vajdova combined for 27 points, but it was not enough to give Balipure a chance to nail its first win. – Rappler.com