Creamline deals Chery Tiggo its first loss in PVL on Tour

July 21 ------ CREAMLINE dodged a bullet by dealing Chery Tiggo its first preseason loss, 25-21, 19-25, 25-16, 25-18, in the 2025 PVL on Tour in Passi City, Iloilo.

The Cool Smashers ended pool play at 3-2 (win-loss) to stay in contention for the last outright quarterfinals spot along with the Crossovers, still with a game at hand at 3-1. Had Creamline lost, it would’ve been the team’s first three-game skid in the eight-year history of the franchise. And it would've happened on coach Sherwin Meneses' 43rd birthday. "'Yung yesterday’s game [against ZUS Coffee], medyo ‘di maganda yung pagkatalo namin pero at least, naka-get kami ng one point na importante rin kasi medyo masikip yung standings. 'Yun lang, buti nanalo kami ngayon," Meneses said.

Alyssa Valdez wouldn't let it happen, however, as she finished with 19 points on 16 attacks and three aces in her best outing yet in the preseason. Jema Galanza had a 13-point, 10-dig doubule-double behind Pangs Panaga's tournament-high seven blocks to cap her 17-point outing. That's three blocks shy of the all-time PVL single-game blocking record set by Riri Meneses for Petro Gazz at the time when it swept Perlas Spikers, 25-17, 25-18, 25-17, in the 2021 Open Conference.

Confusion marred the home stretch of the fourth set due to an extended net touch challenge that led to an 18-minute pause. At 18-16 in Creamline’s favor, Chery Tiggo contested a net touch infraction on its rookie Renee Penafiel which seemed to have coincided with Panaga also drawing contact with the net. The point was ultimately nullified after a referee’s challenge, resulting in a replay. From there, Creamline went on a 7-2 run to put an irate Chery Tiggo away in four sets.

In the end, three players scored exactly 11 points for the Crossovers in Penafiel, Cess Robles and Ara Galang. Penafiel also had 12 receptions while Robles tallied six digs as Chery Tiggo brace for its pool play finale against ZUS Coffee on July 29 in Candon City for the second outright quarterfinals spot in Pool B.

Source: spin.ph