CREAMLINE moved on the cusp of securing a place in the 2022 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference semifinals by eliminating winless Army-Black Mamba, 25-15, 25-20, 25-12, on Tuesday at the PhilSports Arena.
The Cool Smashers improved to 5-1 (win-loss) while officially sending the Lady Troopers out of playoffs contention after a fifth successive loss - and 18th in a row since the 2022 PVL Invitational Conference.
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All the second-stringers of the Cool Smashers stepped up and scored as Rose Vargas started for Jema Galanza, who did not play for the first time this conference. The team said Galanza was under the weather.
"May opportunity lang talaga makapaglaro 'yung stringers. Yung training naman ng first six namin same lang with stringers so alam nila gagawin nila," Creamline head coach Sherwin Meneses said.
Tots Carlos delivered her usual numbers with 14 attacks and two aces for a 17-point output while Michele Gumabao added 11 points on eight attacks and two blocks.
Vargas unloaded four of Creamline's 10 aces to finish with seven points along with six digs and four receptions, while all other Cool Smashers except for Fille Cayetano notched their first point this conference.
Rizza Mandapat and Pau Soriano delivered four of the last five points of the Cool Smashers in the lopsided third set, finishing with three and two points respectively, while Risa Sato added five markers.
Honey Royse Tubino paced the loss for the Lady Troopers with 12 points, nine digs and seven receptions.
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