Cool Smashers near PVL final, rip HD Spikers

Tots Carlos (photo above) spearheads Creamline’s latest triumph. —PVL PHOTO

Learning its lesson from the only blemish in its elimination round card, Creamline on Monday showed that the Cool Smashers have addressed that flaw and are ready to take it all the way to the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Invitational gold medal.

The Cool Smashers manhandled the Cignal HD Spikers with ease, 25-17, 25-15, 25-22 at the jampacked Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City, and moved within another win of a semifinal round sweep that would mean an automatic title game shot.

And Creamline coach Sherwin Meneses is now excited at the chance of facing a foreign team to test his team’s composure that was on full display, unlike the first time Creamline clashed with Cignal and the Cool Smashers went down in four sets.

“I think the composure is okay today. Because [in our] last game, we were getting the lead but we were not able to sustain it and win the set. We learned our lesson when we lost that match—that a set is not over until the score reaches 25 [points],” said Meneses in Filipino.

Tots Carlos drilled in 21 points built on 18 attacks and had 11 digs, as the Cool Smashers dominated the HD Spikers in attacking, 50-25, to earn their third win in the semifinal round in just one hour and 22 minutes.

Kingwhale of Taiwan debuted in style earlier, bundling out Army 26-24, 25-18, 26-24, as the Taiwanese club made up of a merry sprinkling of young and experienced spikers primed itself up for a critical clash with PLDT on Tuesday in an environment its coach said the team enjoyed.

“We’re happy the PVL invited us. In our first game against Army, we felt good. This was also the first time that we played in a big gym because there’s nothing like this in Taiwan,” said Kingwhale coach Teng Yen-Min, who drew double-digit outputs from three starters with Brazilian import Bea Flavio de Carvalho finishing with 14 built on 13 attack points.

“We are just excited to play more games in this tournament,” he added. “I hope in the next game tomorrow against PLDT, we can be better than today.” INQ