CREAMLINE inched closer to a perfect campaign after a Game One masterclass over Choco Mucho, 25-23, 19-25, 26-24, 25-22, in the 2023 PVL All-Filipino Conference Finals at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The series-opening victory extended the Cool Smashers’ unbeaten record to 14 in the conference - and against their sister club to 10 straight games since the Flying Titans joined the league in 2019.
A strong show of force from Tots Carlos (16 attacks) steered Creamline to the series-opening victory after a closely-contested first finals salvo between the two fan-favorite clubs.
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"We gave it all out in today’s game talaga. Every point, ‘yun talaga sinabi sa’min ni Coach (Sherwin Meneses) sa dugout pa lang na bigyan namin ng puso ‘yung laro ngayong araw na ito kasi I think it will be a big difference in today’s match," Creamline captain Alyssa Valdez, who had 11 points in the win, said.
"Grabe ‘yung tiwala ng bawat isa, tiwala sa skills namin, sa teamwork namin so ‘yun ‘yung pinanghawakan namin nu’ng third set. But honestly, I’m very, very proud of everyone kasi lahat nag-sstep up talaga kahit sino ipasok ni coach," she added.
The Cool Smashers can wrap up a seventh league championship and a 15-game season sweep with another victory over their sister team in Game Two of the best-of-three series at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The odds of that happening are high.
Twelve out of the last 15 PVL Finals were won by the team that took Game One, including the two single-game championships won by Creamline (2021) and Kurashiki Ablaze (2022) in the last two Invitationals.
However, the Cool Smashers accounted for two of the three Finals losses after winning the series opener (2019 Reinforced and 2021 Open).
Key scoring pitches from Jema Galanza (16 points), Pangs Panaga (13 points), and Michele Gumabao (11 points) propelled Creamline's case in Game One, while game-leading efforts from Maddie Madayag (18 points), Sisi Rondina (17 points), and Kat Tolentino (16 points) fell flat despite a brave stand in Choco Mucho's finals debut.
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