MANILA, Philippines – The Creamline Cool Smashers showed the true heart of a champion in Game 2 of the 2023 PVL All-Filipino Conference finals, trouncing the Petro Gazz Angels off a fifth-set blowout, 18-25, 25-16, 25-18, 23-25, 15-6, at the jam-packed Mall of Asia Arena on Tuesday, March 28.
Jia de Guzman steered the offense in the win with 30 excellent sets as the defending champions return for a rubber match on Thursday, March 30, 5:30 pm, still at the MOA Arena.
Michele Gumabao fired off a conference-high 21 points off 15 attacks, 4 blocks, and 2 aces, while Tots Carlos tallied 20 points and 22 excellent receptions.
Coming off a cardiac fourth set where late errors effectively gifted Petro Gazz the win, Creamline shored up in a big way at the start of the fifth with a 9-2 charge, capped by 3 straight points from Michele Gumabao.
The Angels only got off a small 3-1 run to get within 6-12, which ultimately proved insignificant as Ced Domingo hammered down 3 straight kills, the last being a hit off an over-reception to seal the deal.
“Sometimes we have to challenge ourselves and the players that the situation is already there and we can’t do anything but do something about it,” said Creamline head coach Sherwin Meneses in Filipino.
“It’s all about mindset. It’s no longer a battle of skills. Our response as a team was great in the five sets. The heart of the champion team is there. They really showed they won’t give up.”
Rem Palma and Aiza Maizo-Pontillas paced the loss with 16 and 15 points, respectively, while Djanel Cheng tallied 18 excellent sets. – Rappler.com
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