PVL: Creamline turns back Army
Credit to Author: Tempo Online| Date: Wed, 03 Jul 2019 16:28:59 +0000
by Kristel Satumbaga
Games Saturday (Ynares Center, Antipolo)
2 p.m. – BanKo-Perlas vs PetroGazz
4 p.m. – Pacifictown Army vs Creamline
Creamline blew a two-set lead before turning back Pacifictown-Army, 26-24, 25-21, 23-25, 25-20, on Wednesday to inch closer to a finals berth in the Premier Volleyball League Season 3 Reinforced Conference at The Arena in San Juan City.
Thai import Kuttika Kaewpin paced the Cool Smashers with 21 points, all from attacks, as the squad moved one win away from a return trip to the championship round in their best-of-three semifinal series.
Cuban import Wilma Salas fired 25 points to steer PetroGazz in Game 1 of their Premier Volleyball League Season 3 Reinforced Conference semifinal match against BanKo-Perlas on Wednesday. (Sports Vision)
It was the 10th straight victory for Creamline, but skipper Alyssa Valdez said they still needed consistency to achieve their goal of retaining the crown.
“When complacency comes in, it’s really hard,” said Valdez, whose team earned the second seeding after the two-round eliminations. “I think consistency will bring us to the finals and to the championship.”
“Mahirap din kasi na walang iniisip, yung puro win, win, win, so it’s nice that the little details during the game, like that third set, happened para malaman namin that we still have things to improve,” she added.
Creamline lost its touch in the third frame after Army cruised to a 19-11 lead, but unforced errors from the Lady Troopers closed the gap at 22-all.
Olena Lymareva-Flink stepped up to give Army the set win, but the Lady Troopers failed to sustain that momentum as the Cool Smashers attacked the net in the fourth with Valdez, Ale Blanco and Kaewpin in front.
Creamline tries to sweep their semis series and advance to the final round on Saturday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
Game 3, if necessary, is on July 10 at The Arena in San Juan City.