Creamline moves on cusp of another title with rout of Chery Tiggo

Creamline moved closer to another Premier Volleyball League (PVL) championship after shutting the door on Chery Tiggo's comeback, 25-15, 25-21, 18-25, 19-25, 15-7, in Game 1 of the Open Conference finals series on Wednesday.

A win on Thursday, August 12, will push Creamline's total number of titles to four.

It was a flawless outing at the start for Creamline as a quick hit by middle blocker Risa Sato handed them the opening set, where they registered 15 attacks against Crossovers' eight while only committing five errors.

Chery Tiggo, though, gave Creamline a run of its own money in the second frame with veteran Dindin Santiago-Manabat saving a set point through a cross court attack, 21-24. However, they ran out of gas in the final stretch as Jema Galanza closed it out, 25-21.

Crossovers built on that momentum and minimized their errors to two in the third set to steal it and extend the match.

Taking over the fourth set was the duo of Santiago-Manabat and sister Jaja Santiago, who brought Chery Tiggo to 23-18 after a huge middle attack. Santiago-Manabat hit one from the opposite side and an ace from Shaya Adorador finished off the set to force a decider.

Creamline showed its championship poise in the final set after a quick 6-1 lead off three blocks from Jeanette Panaga. Jema Galanza pushed that lead to six after an ace while team captain Alyssa Valdez went for a combination play to cap off the win.

Valdez led the charge for the Cool Smashers with 21 points, all on attacks.

—MGP, GMA News