Creamline coolly smashes foe sans star Valdez

Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

At least for the moment, there appears to be no need for Alyssa Valdez.

Creamline played without its heroine and still came through with a convincing 25-22, 25-21, 25-22 win over Power Smashers Wednesday night to remain spotless in the Premier Volleyball League Open Conference at Filoil Flying V Centre.

The win practically qualified the Cool Smashers to the next round—they have won all their five matches so far.

“It’s a challenge for the team, really. So we have to step up and prove that it’s all team effort,” said Pau Soriano in Filipino.

The veteran spiker accounted for 15 points including five straight in the homestretch as the Cool Smashers raced from a 20-22 hole en route to the straight sets victory.

But most importantly, Creamline proved that it can stand its ground even without top scorer and team leader Valdez, who is currently in Japan training with the Philippine team.

Jia Morado tossed 50 excellent sets, fanning out the offensive chores masterfully.

It was a sorry loss for the Power Smashers, who succumbed to their fourth defeat in five matches.

What happened in the third set mirrored the second when Creamline fell behind, 18-21, against the youthful but inexperienced squad.

Rosemarie Vargas strung up three straight points—all through soft-touch hits— while Colleen Bravo scored three kill blocks to lift the Cool Smashers.