Cool Smashers recover, trounce Angels to stay alive

Games Sunday
(Smart Araneta Coliseum)
4 p.m. – Creamline vs Chery Tiggo
6 p.m. – Choco Mucho vs Petro Gazz

MANILA, Philippines – Many were already predicting that Creamline’s dynastic reign is inevitably close to ending with the meteoric rise of rival franchises, including a vastly improved and deeply talented Petro Gazz.

Not on Thursday though.

Showing incredible resiliency, the Cool Smashers fought like there was no tomorrow and clawed back in fending off the high and mighty Angels in a gripping 27-25, 23-25, 27-25, 26-24 victory Thursday to live for another day in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference semifinals at the PhilSports Arena.

Jema Galanza was the heart that kept on beating for Creamline as she practically willed her team back to critical deficits in the last two sets en route to the win.

“Nanginginig po ako ngayon, hindi ko ma-explain nararamdaman ko,” said a giddy Galanza moments after her electrifying 23-point effort that included three power, bazooka-like kills late in the fourth set when Creamline survived two set points.

It was more than Creamline soothing its broken heart following a 13-25, 19-25, 25-21, 25-20, 18-16 defeat to younger sibling Choco Mucho Tuesday — but instead a simple case of just trying to stay alive for a fourth straight finals appearance and a league-record 11th overall.

If Creamline, which tackles Chery Tiggo in the final semis play date Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, eventually advances to the best-of-three finale, it will shoot for an eighth championship, another league mark.

That excruciating setback had many predicting that it's the beginning of the end for a storied franchise that never missed the post season in 13 straight conferences spanning seven years.

But Creamline isn't about to give in on that and delivered the fight of its life with a comeback to remember.

Creamline also got the needed boost from Tots Carlos, who returned just in time after missing the first semis game following her stint in the Korean V-League rookie combine. She scattered 21 hits on Thursday.

Pangs Panaga chipped in 11 points, while team captain Alyssa Valdez added 10 to help Creamline prevent the franchise’s first three-loss skein in a long, long while.

It was a stinging defeat for Petro Gazz — a team stacked by firepower that included Filipino-Americans Brooke Van Sickle MJ Philips — and which looked in control in the third and fourth sets when they built leads that would have easily given them the win if they only held on.

But the Angels never did.