Creamline Cool Smashers against Petro Gazz Angels in the PVL Reinforced Conference.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

Creamline doesn’t simply adhere to the knockout format of the PVL Reinforced Conference semifinals—the Cool Smashers thrive in it.

“We told each other it’s a do-or-do [game], so we’re not gonna die,” Bernadeth Pons said after ending the reign of two-time champion Petro Gazz late on Tuesday night with a 25-23, 25-19, 25-18 victory, sealing a semifinal encounter with Cignal set for Thursday at 6 p.m. at PhilSports Arena.

Cignal was the first squad to book a ticket to the semifinals, after bucking Marina Tushova’s record 50-point outing for Capital1 last Saturday.

“The fight is not yet over. We will only have a day of preparation before the semis, so we go back to work (Wednesday),” Pons added, after she joined hands with import Erica Staunton to keep Creamline in the hunt for a title that has eluded the eight-time champions for the past six years.

Creamline’s last title here was in 2018, but with Staunton leading the charge this time, coach Sherwin Meneses has confidence that they could add a second Reinforced trophy to their collection.

“Erica is a really good fit to the system of Creamline,” Meneses said. “Even if there are some players missing from our lineup, Erica is here to fill in for them, so she is very good for us.”

Those absent cogs—Alyssa Valdez, Tots Carlos and Jema Galanza—left big shoes that Staunton has been able to fill.

“[One of our motivations] is having a disappointing finish last Reinforced Conference,” Meneses said, referring to the bronze Creamline bagged in 2022, the last time this conference was played.

The other semis

“I told my team to continue working for now. The results will follow. No matter who’s here to play, as long as we get a good practice. We target to finish stronger now so we take it step-by-step for now,” he added.

In the other semifinal pairing, undefeated Akari battle PLDT, which advanced to the final four after surviving a 40-point performance by Khat Bell of Chery Tiggo also on Tuesday. This game is slated at 4 p.m.

As the top four teams this conference, Creamline, Akari, PLDT and Cignal also earned the opportunity to play two foreign guest teams in the upcoming Invitational Conference in September.

When asked what will be the game plan against a gritty Cignal side, Meneses said he hasn’t looked past the Angels yet.

“I still have three hours today until tomorrow to study [Cignal].”

His players, though, already know how to approach the game.

“The mindset is do-or-do because we really don’t want to lose,” Pons said. “We wanted to get this game to extend our conference until the Finals, so we’ll take it one game at a time.”