Dominant Creamline sweeps KingWhale in PVL knockout final; Cignal wins bronze

MANILA, Philippines – The Creamline Cool Smashers made quick work of weary KingWhale Taipei in the 2022 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Invitational Conference knockout final match with a 25-21, 25-19, 25-8, at the Mall of Asia Arena on Sunday, August 14.

Newly crowned two-time MVP Tots Carlos led the way in scoring one last time with 14 points, while Jema Galanza and eventual Finals MVP Ced Domingo scored 13 and 11, respectively, with the latter hiking her tally with a game-high 4 blocks.

Best Open Spiker Alyssa Valdez, fresh off a left ankle injury, still scattered 9 points, 13 excellent digs, and 8 excellent receptions as Jia de Guzman tallied 19 excellent sets.

Coming off a 10-16 deficit in the second set, Creamline came alive with a huge 15-3 finishing kick, ending with a Michele Gumabao down the line kill and a set-ending error from Beatriz Flavio de Carvalho.

Suddenly down two sets, KingWhale then completely fell apart in the third set as Creamline took a 10-4 start, and ballooned the gap as high as 16, 22-6, before Valdez hammered one last kill to clinch the championship.

Carvalho paced the sorry loss with 12 points off 10 attacks and 2 blocks, while newly crowned Best Setter Liao Yi-Jen tallied 16 excellent sets in KingWhale’s third game in as many days.

Meanwhile, the Cignal HD Spikers defied all odds and stole the bronze medal from sister team PLDT High Speed Hitters in five sets, 17-25, 20-25, 27-25, 25-22, 15-5.

Still playing without top stars Ces Molina and Ria Meneses, Roselyn Doria erupted for a conference-high 9 blocks in her 14-point line, while Rachel Anne Daquis topscored with 16 points off 13 attacks, 2 blocks, and 1 ace.

Jerrili Malabanan scored 13 in the win while Gel Cayuna capped off her campaign with 20 excellent sets and 7 points built off 4 aces and 3 attacks as the HD Spikers fought from two sets down and a 4-13 deficit in the third.

Mika Reyes led all scorers with 19 points off 13 attacks and a team-high 6 blocks, while Rhea Dimaculangan tallied 24 excellent sets as the High Speed Hitters dropped their second five-set game of the conference after winning the first two frames. – Rappler.com