Creamline Cool Smashers outlasted Cignal Super Spikers in a grueling five-set battle, 25-19, 25-20, 15-25, 26-28, 16-14, to lock in a spot in the qualifying round of the 2026 PVL All-Filipino Conference on Saturday at the Playtime Filoil Centre in San Juan.
Playing without key hitters Jessica Galanza and Bernadeth Pons, the Cool Smashers were dealt another blow in the deciding set when veteran setter Julia Morado-de Guzman hurt her right knee and was unable to continue.
Despite losing their floor general at a crucial stretch, Creamline leaned on its remaining veterans to close out the match. Alyssa Valdez, Diana Carlos, and Floremel Rodriguez delivered in key moments, helping the team withstand Cignal’s late surge and finish the match strong.
Valdez led the Cool Smashers with 22 points, Rodriguez stepped up with a career-high of 19 markers, while Jeanette Panaga, and Carlos tallied 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Vanessa Gandler top-scored for the Super Spikers with 26 points, while Erika Santos and Jewel Encarnacion added 16 and 10 points, respectively.
Both squads ended the preliminaries with identical 6-3 records, but Creamline settled for the third seed due to a lower points quotient.
The result also reshuffled the standings, with Nxled Chameleons dropping to fifth and Akari Power Chargers slipping to sixth heading into the play-in phase. (AC)
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