PVL: Creamline eyes bounce back after failed ‘five-peat’ bid

Creamline Cool Smashers after losing to Petro Gazz Angels in Game 3 of the PVL All-Filipino Finals.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — As all good things come to an end, Creamline coach Sherwin Meneses was gracious in defeat after the Cool Smashers’ five-peat dream was shattered by the Petro Gazz Angels in a winner-take-all Game 3 in the 2024-25 PVL All-Filipino Conference Finals.

Less than 24 hours after Creamline’s four-year reign ended, Meneses was back on the sidelines with National University, which clinched the top seed in the UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball Final Four after whipping Ateneo.

READ: PVL: Petro Gazz dethrones Creamline for first All-Filipino crown

Creamline coach Sherwin Meneses shares his thoughts after their dynasty ended in the #PVL2025 @INQUIRERSports pic.twitter.com/qUdqDeTKXs

— Lance Agcaoili (@LanceAgcaoilINQ) April 13, 2025

Meneses said the Cool Smashers have accepted the 21-25, 16-25, 25-23, 19-25 defeat to Petro Gazz in Game 3 in front of 10,000 fans at Philsports Arena.

“Honestly, it wasn’t really a heartbreak—we just lost. Petro Gazz truly deserved the win. But for our next conferences, we’ll prepare even better, especially for how long the season could be,” said Meneses in Filipino. “There’s a longer break this time, so we’ll take time to review and study things more carefully, and then we’ll start getting ready to bounce back.”

“We really just need to move on quickly, especially since we’ve got the AVC tournament coming up. I think the players were able to recover right away. Honestly, Petro Gazz deserved that championship last night—they just wanted it more,” he added.

Meneses remained proud of the Cool Smashers, who fought hard throughout the five-month conference, despite falling short in extending their success with an 11th title.

READ: PVL: Petro Gazz finally gets past Creamline and over All-Filipino hump

“Our players didn’t give up at all, but the breaks and the game just really went their way. So, big congratulations to Petro Gazz,” he said.

“This was a really long conference—about six months—and now we’ve experienced what that feels like. We just came up short at the end, but going through this will really help us if there’s another long tournament in the future, since no one’s been through something like this before. It’s a big learning experience for us in terms of how to prepare.”

The Cool Smashers won 10 of their 11 preliminary games before winning three straight in the qualifying round against Nxled and sweeping Chery Tiggo in a best-of-three quarterfinals series.

The 10-time champions started their semis round with a loss to Petro Gazz but swept Choco Mucho and Akari to return to the finals, where they lost the series opener but bounced back in a five-set thriller in Game 2 to force a decider.

READ: PVL Finals preview: Creamline vs Petro Gazz, Chapter V

Meneses, a seven-time champion and the only coach to win more than at least a hundred PVL games, said the Cool Smashers may have accepted the runner-up finish, but knows they will bounce back stronger in the Reinforced Conference in October.

“It wasn’t actually that painful of a loss. I didn’t really see anyone crying hard, so I don’t think it hurt that bad. But of course, our players are very competitive, so I’m sure deep down they’re thinking about it, too,” Meneses said. “Right now, everyone’s already back home, hopefully getting the rest they need. I believe the team will recover quickly. We’ll just try to bounce back in the next conference—especially the AVC. Creamline is always competitive anyway.”

Meneses and the Cool Smashers shift their focus to the AVC Champions League set from April 20 to 27.