Creamline Cool Smashers celebrate a point against Farm Fresh Foxies in the PVL Reinforced Conference. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIREr.net
MANILA, Philippines–Creamline finally got into the win column of the PVL Reinforced Conference by clawing back from being a set down against the gritty Farm Fresh, 24-26, 25-23, 25-21, 25-16, Saturday night at PhilSports Arena.
Erica Staunton put together 26 points on 23 attacks and three blocks to help the Cool Smashers improve to 1-1 following a five-set defeat to PLDT on Tuesday.
“We are happy because it’s our first victory. Hopefully we continue winning and our momentum rises,” Creamline coach Sherwin Meneses said in Filipino. “We lost some players but our team is still strong so we just needed this first win to somehow get the ball rolling. We’ll work for our next games.”
In the absence of key players such as Alyssa Valdez and Tots Carlos due to “minor injuries” and Jema Galanza to Alas Pilipinas, Michele Gumabao stepped up into the local leader role and produced 21 points on 19 attacks, a block and an ace.
“We are looking at our team because we have different faces inside. We are also looking how much more can the team do and what else we can improve, especially with the first stringers,” said Meneses, who got the win as a gift for his birthday.
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“We wanted to bounce back from our last game, it was an inspiration for us because we just lacked in the endgame and it also showed earlier that everyone had a better energy and better effort from everyone playing,” Gumabao said.
Creamline Cool Smashers’ Michele Gumabao. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
Farm Fresh fought tooth-and-nail in the first two sets before losing steam in the last two of the almost two-hour encounter as Yeny Murillo came up with 26 points, all but one coming from attacks.
“Farm Fresh is always prepared … you really can’t count them out because they also have blue chip players so I think that’s what happens whenever there’s a match between Creamline and Farm Fresh,” Meneses said, referring to their previous matchup in the All-Filipino Conference.
