By NIKOLE JAVIER
Creamline needed four sets to fend off the gritty United Auctioneers-Army, 25-12, 25-18, 23-25, 25-23, in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Reinforced Conference on Saturday, Nov. 12, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Cool Smashers dictated the first two sets but found themselves unable to completely recover in the third frame from an eight-point deficit.
Turkish import Yeliz Basa led the way for Creamline with 18 points built on 16 attacks and two blocks while Ced Domingo and Jema Galanza contributed 16 and 14 markers, respectively.
At the heels of an 11-4 run after being down by eight, the Cool Smashers couldn’t put a defensive stop to Laura Condotta who delivered the killing blow to complete Army’s third-set comeback.
However, with enough team chemistry, Creamline decided to go all-Filipino in the fourth frame despite being down by seven early in the fourth set, 2-9.
Tots Carlos, who’s been playing limited minutes on the floor due to an injury, tied the match with a crosscourt kill, 22-all.
Condotta then went through the block to put Army by one but quickly erased the lead after going wide in the next play, 24-23, before Galanza finished the match off a chance ball.
“Syempre this conference, hindi mo masasabi ngayon ilalaro mo. Kasi malaking bagay mga import nagco-contribute sila every game. Lahat ng import ngayon mahirap pantayan talaga hopefully, mag-improve pa sa mga next games,” said Meneses.
The Cool Smashers climbed to a 6-1 win-loss tally while Army was kept winless in seven outings.
For Army's side, Condotta had a 20-point outing while Nene Bautista and Jovelyn Gonzaga added 12 and 10 markers, respectively.