EVEN Sherwin Meneses did not see that Game 1 blowout coming.
Creamline’s champion head coach admitted he was surprised by how one-sided the series opener turned out in the 2026 PVL All-Filipino Conference finals, given how tightly contested their previous meetings with Cignal had been.
The Cool Smashers had won just once in three prior encounters this conference, needing five sets in the prelims before dropping both their qualifying round and semifinals matchups.
READ: Creamline smashes Cignal, now a win from reclaiming PVL crown
So a dominant sweep on the biggest stage was far from expected.
“Siguro [na-surprise din] kasi sa four games namin, n gayon lang na-three sets eh kahit naka-set naman kami nu’ng last time,” Meneses said.
“Nagulat din kasi three sets tapos ‘yung third set medyo malayo ‘yung score.”
But for Meneses, any edge from that win disappears quickly.
“‘Di na rin kasi advantage ‘yun sa Game 2. Bagong-bagong laban na naman ‘yung Game 2,” he said.
Instead of relishing that shock result, the Creamline mentor took more satisfaction on how it managed to nail their championship game plan to a tee with little time to prepare.
After months of searching for rhythm as a complete unit, the Cool Smashers delivered one of their most cohesive performances yet when it truly mattered.
“Na-execute talaga namin ‘yung game plan today nang maganda. ‘Yung players, ‘yung chemistry nila tumataas pa, especially kay Jia [de Guzman] na kakabalik pa lang [this conference],” he said.
“‘Yung time para mag-jell is nandito ngayon sa finals. Sa Game 2, ibang situation naman ‘yan eh. Magpe-prepare ulit kami kasi ‘yung Cignal, per point din talaga sila [aatake].”
Game 1 may have been convincing, but for Creamline, Game 2 starts from scratch.
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