CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Creamline flexed its muscles and showed no mercy against overmatched PetroGazz, scoring a 25-14, 25-22, 27-25 win on Wednesday that moved the Cool Smashers within a win from claiming the Premier Volleyball League Open Conference title and completing the perfect conference.
Alyssa Valdez powered the Cool Smashers, who encountered token opposition from the Angels in Game 1 of their best-of-three finals series at Filoil Flying V Centre.
Creamline can pick up the title—and its 20th straight win—when Game 2 is played on Saturday.
“Our mind-set is to give it our all because this is the finals, we want to win it,” Valdez said. “I saw the sacrifice of my teammates and I wanted to play very well for them.”
Valdez missed five games due to sprained ankle and her duties with the national team. But the Cool Smashers were stacked with other big stars that her absence hardly mattered.
“We just want to be happy, happy in our game and be more consistent,” added Valdez, who finished with 19 points.
Just when PetroGazz was mounting an uprising, leading 22-20 in the third, Valdez hosed down its hopes, scoring three straight points, including back-to-back aces, to give Creamline the lead 23-22.