CREAMLINE reached the Premier Volleyball League championship for the second straight conference but not after dodging a tough Kinh Bac Bac Ninh stand in the first two sets, 25-23, 25-23, 25-17, in the Invitational Conference semifinals at the Philsports Arena yesterday.

The Cool Smashers have extended their perfect run in the conference to seven matches and have a 4-0 record in the semis.

Japan’s Kurashiki Ablaze will be Creamline’s final semis opponent in a potential Final preview on Friday.

“Thankful kami sa mga players kasi siyempre, nagre-respond sa mga sinasabi namin tsaka sa pinapagawa namin, kaya siguro nasa finals kami ulit. Pero siyempre, lahat ng team gusto mag-champion, kaya hindi pa tapos yung goal namin,” said Cool Smashers head coach Sherwin Meneses.

Tots Carlos led Creamline with 14 kills, Alyssa Valdez logged 11 kills and 11 receptions, while Jema Galanza was the other player in double digits with 10 points and collected 10 digs.

Ced Domingo scored a match-bests four blocks and a service ace for a eight-point outing while setter Jia de Guzman lobbed 17 excellent sets.

The Vietnamese battled toe to toe with the Cool Smashers in the first two sets before losing, and skipper Oanh Nguyen left the match in the third due to an apparent knee injury.

Kinh Bac Bac Ninh remained winless in three matches, as it faces Cignal and F2 Logistics to wrap up its semis campaign.

Huong Nguyen paced the Vietnamese club with 19 kills while Xuan Le added 10 points, six receptions and six digs.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Theodore P. Jurado