MANILA, Philippines – The Creamline Cool Smashers got back in the win column at the 2023 PVL All-Filipino Conference after a crucial four-set win over the Chery Tiggo Crossovers, 17-25, 25-11, 25-19, 25-21, at the jampacked PhilSports Arena on Saturday, February 25.

With the win, Creamline broke a standings tie at the top with Chery Tiggo and seized solo first place with a 4-1 record.

Jema Galanza scattered her name all over the stat sheet with a big triple-double of 25 points, 13 excellent digs, and 12 excellent receptions, while Jia de Guzman once again put on a playmaking show with 34 excellent sets.

Kyla Atienza shored up the floor defense with huge saves on the way to 20 excellent digs as Michele Gumabao and Ced Domingo added 17 and 16 points, respectively.

After bouncing back from a forgettable first-set loss and seizing momentum with big wins in the second and third, Creamline still found itself within Chery Tiggo’s striking distance off a small 16-15 lead midway through the fourth.

However, Galanza led the offense in the clutch and created a crucial 22-17 breathing window off a 6-2 run, which Chery Tiggo failed to recover from. The Crossovers only got within 21-23 in the end before Gumabao hammered two straight kill shots to seal the deal for the defending conference champions.

EJ Laure paced the loss with 15 points while Shaya Adorador tallied 11 points and 10 excellent receptions for Chery Tiggo, which fell to 3-2 behind F2 Logistics.

Creamline can start a new winning streak on Thursday, February 28, 4 pm, as it takes on the free-falling Army-Black Mamba Lady Troopers.

Chery Tiggo, on the other hand, will have a one-week reprieve before returning on Saturday, March 4, 6:30 pm, to face the Akari Chargers. – Rappler.com

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