Creamline solid pick for seventh straight win

Creamline Cool Smashers during a game against Nxled Chameleons in the PVL All-Filipino Conference. Photo: PVL Images

Creamline has the obvious advantage in personnel when it battles Cignal on Saturday, with the Cool Smashers to take advantage of that in shooting for a seventh straight win to stay atop the leaderboard in the PVL All-Filipino Conference at Philsports Arena in Pasig.

The Cool Smashers have bamboozled their last two foes with straight-sets triumphs, and the sudden departures of Riri Meneses and Ces Molina from the Cignal core make Creamline the odds-on pick in the 6:30 p.m. contest that comes after struggling Akari and Capital1 clash.

“We are confident because we have six consecutive wins [already],” Creamline coach Sherwin Meneses said. “[But] we should never be complacent in every game and every point. We know they (HD Spikers) will fight hard. They also have a lot of young players.”

Molina and Meneses left when their contracts expired at the end of last year, leaving huge holes in the nucleus of the traditionally contending team.

Vanie Gandler and Gel Cayuna have been left to carry most of the load for the HD Spikers, who will be coming off a four-set loss to sister team PLDT which exposed all the kinks in their armor.

Creamline has the most prolific trio of gunners this league has ever seen in Tots Carlos, Jema Galanza and either Alyssa Valdez or Bernadeth Pons, who has come of age and looms as the heir apparent of Valdez.

Four away from sweep

Another win for Creamline would put the defending champion four victories away from sweeping classification, where no team will get the boot but the highest finisher will get the lightest assignment in the first round of the playoffs.

Creamline has depleted Chery Tiggo, Farm Fresh, PLDT and Galeries Tower as its last assignments.

The Chargers, meanwhile, will be aiming to improve their 4-4 record, with the Solar Spikers aiming to pick up just their second win in eight outings.