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SANTA ROSA, Philippines – The City of Santa Rosa continues to be an unlucky place for perennial PVL powerhouse Creamline after Chery Tiggo stormed to a stunning 25-18, 26-24, 25-23 sweep in the league’s return to Laguna on Saturday, March 16.
The Cool Smashers, unbeaten in their last 19 games, lost for the first time since July 2023, and more notably, went down in a sweep for the first time since May 2019. This is also the second double-digit Creamline winning streak that ended in Santa Rosa since Cignal snapped a 10-game run in July 2022.
At the helm of the Crossovers’ much-needed rebound after they themselves fell in a sweep to upstart Farm Fresh is young star Eya Laure, who led with a game-high 14 points on 12 attacks and 2 aces.
Known in volleyball circles for being part of famous streak-busting teams like the UAAP’s UST and Chery Tiggo, the one-time PVL Best Outside Hitter hoped that this win rejuvenates the Crossovers’ confidence as they move far away from their last uncharacteristic defeat.
“We were hungry, that’s definitely the term. That’s what Tyang Aby (Maraño) always reminds us that we should always be hungry in the games,” Laure said in Filipino. “What happened to us against Farm Fresh was a wake-up call, and there, we really felt we woke up today.”
Performing well alongside her were all-around veteran Ara Galang (10 points, 6 excellent digs), young libero Jen Nierva (20 excellent digs, 10 excellent receptions), and former MVP Mylene Paat (9 points off bench), as Chery Tiggo evaded a three-game slide to rise to a 3-2 record.
Creamline, meanwhile, fell to a 4-1 slate, with Jema Galanza and Tots Carlos pacing the losing cause with 13 and 12 points, respectively.
Although ecstatic in victory, Laure was not one to overlook the significance of the win against the undisputed best franchise in PVL history, especially at such a critical point of the new conference.
“Creamline is on top and we’re at the bottom right now. When you say Creamline, it’s like Barangay Ginebra in the PBA, right?,” she continued. “I looked at the arena, 90% of the fans were in pink (Creamline colors), and you dream that someday, those in red (Chery colors) would grow.”
“But we’ll take it one step at a time. We hope this win can make us believe we can also do it as a team. We’ll just stick to teamwork.”
Up next on the docket for Chery Tiggo is yet another tall task in the form of red-hot Petro Gazz next Thursday, March 21, as the Angels ride a three-game winning run after starting the conference with a loss.
Yet another streak ripe for ending. That’s all the motivation Laure needs. – Rappler.com
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