PVL: Creamline eliminates Farm Fresh, arranges Finals clash with Cignal

MANILA, April 17 ------ Creamline punched the last ticket to the 2026 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference Finals. This, as the Cool Smashers defeated Farm Fresh in a four-set battle, 25-23, 14-25, 25-23, 25-19, in the round-robin semifinals at the Filoil Centre in San Juan.

The PVL powerhouse finally ended its finals drought, after missing out on the title stage for three straight tournaments. This also marks Creamline's 15th overall PVL finals appearance, and ninth in the Open and All-Filipino Conferences. After a lopsided loss in Set 2, the Cool Smashers bounced back in the third frame, silencing a Mylene Paat-led uprising to snatch a 2-1 lead. From a 19-14 Creamline lead, Paat led a 5-0 run that knotted the match, capped by a Jennifer Nierva passing error for a 19-all count. However, that's when the Creamline MVPs led the charge.

Former top plum recipients Bernadeth Pons, Michele Gumabao, and Jema Galanza all contributed with their attacks, pulling ahead once again for a 22-19 lead. Paat refused to bow out yet, firing an off-the-block kill that put Farm Fresh within one again, 23-22. Gumabao and Trisha Tubu traded attack points, but Tots Carlos was there for the set-clinching kill that secured Creamline's 2-1 set lead.

The closeout in Set 4 came in the opposition's mistakes, as Tubu suffered back-to-back attacking errors that gifted Creamline its Finals return. "'Di din talaga naging madali 'yung journey namin na makabalik sa Finals ngayong conference. So, sobrang happy, pero hindi pa tapos 'yung laban. Kailangan namin ulit na maghanda, magtrabaho pa para makuha namin 'yung goal this conference," said Pons, who showcased her two-way game once again with 12 points, 17 excellent digs, and 17 excellent receptions. Carlos led the offensive charge with 15 points, while Galanza and Pangs Panaga added 13 markers each. Meanwhile, setter Jia de Guzman pulled the strings with 26 excellent sets, while making her presence felt in the scoring with five points.

On the other hand, the Foxies were not able to reach the championship round in their first try in the semifinals. It was still an impressive run for Farm Fresh in its first stint under Japanese coach Koji Tsuzurabara. Tubu paced the losing side with a game-high 21 points, while Ces Molina had 19 points, and Royse Tubino added 12 markers. Paat, who tried to carry Farm Fresh midway through, finished with 11 points.

Source: news.abs-cbn.com