By ADRIAN STEWART CO
Creamline Cool Smashers’ title defense is still alive after an 18-25, 25-16, 25-18, 23-25, 15-6 victory over Petro Gazz Angels in Game 2 of the 2023 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference finals at the SM Mall of Asia Arena on Tuesday, March 28.
Michele Gumabao showed her experience to lead the way with 21 points, while Diana Carlos chipped in 20 markers as the Cool Smashers tied the best-of-three title series at 1-1.
Jessica Galanza contributed 17 markers, Celine Domingo ended up with 14 points, while Julia Morado-De Guzman was hailed as the Player of the Game with her 30 excellent sets for Creamline.
“We had so many lapses in Game 1 and there were a lot of things to be fixed. But all our hard work has paid off by forcing a do-or-die Game 3 in this finals,” Morado-De Guzman said.
The Cool Smashers seemed headed to a victory in the fourth set after erecting an 8-4 lead, but the Angels slowly clawed their way back until they surged to a 23-19 lead behind attacks by Ilongga Aiza Maizo-Pontillas.
The Cool Smashers rallied back and cut the deficit to 22-23 on a block by Domingo, but her teammates Rosemarie Vargas and Gumabao committed back-to-back service errors to force a fifth set.
In the fifth and deciding set, after splitting the first four points, the Cool Smashers went on a massive 8-0 scoring blast behind Gumabao and Carlos as they surged to a 10-2 advantage.
The Angels tried to make their last push as they chopped the deficit to 6-12 via an attack by Mar-Jana Phillips, but Domingo unloaded three consecutive points as the Cool Smashers clinched the win and forced a do-or-die Game 3 tonight.
“Hindi na skills ang labanan pero nag-respond naman ang team. Maganda ‘yung pinakita sa fifth set, ‘yung puso, champion team ‘yan, kaya hindi sila bibigay,” Creamline head coach Sherwin Meneses said.
Mary Remy Palma fired 16 points to lead the way for the Angels, Maizo-Pontillas added 15 markers, while Game 1 hero Jonah Sabete of Negros Occidental’s Escalante City was held to 10 points./ASC, WDJ