PVL

Creamline outplayed Petro Gazz, 20-25, 25-20, 25-18, 25-15, in the winner-take-all Game Three to repeat as champion in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) ...

The Cool Smashers, who played the entire conference without injured superstar Alyssa Valdez, continued to pound on the Angels as they kept the latter at bay to build a 21-11 lead and eventually won the crown on an emphatic Galanza kill. Recovering from a first set defeat, Creamline took the next two sets and carried the momentum to the fourth frame where it raced to a 4-0 advantage. Creamline outplayed Petro Gazz, 20-25, 25-20, 25-18, 25-15, in the winner-take-all Game Three to repeat as champion in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference on Thursday, March 30, at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Tickets for this game were sold out just 12 minutes after the box-office opened.

“After [the] Game 1 [loss], everyone was ready to bounce back, ready to practice the next day. “The players just responded,” coach Sherwin Meneses said in Filipino in the din of the celebration at center court. The celebration at the stands started when an Aiza Maizo-Pontillas kill was smothered by a double block. Celine Domingo was the fourth player in twin digits for the Cool Smashers with 16 and with Alyssa Valdez slated for a return from knee injury later in the year, Creamline indeed looks armed to the teeth to take a shot at a triple crown sweep for the second straight season. “It wasn’t hard [to bounce back],” ace setter and Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) Jia de Guzman said. And with the way the Cool Smashers played when the only option left was to win, the rest of the season indeed looks rosy for this resilient bunch.

Carlos, who helped steer the Cool Smashers to the finals in the PVL All-Filipino Conference, took the most coveted individual citation for the third time in ...

She was second among the best spikers in the league. Arado normed 6.80 excellent digs per set and recorded a 63.86% efficiency on receiving. PLDT's Kath Arado claimed the best libero award as she finished as the best digger and best receiver of the tournament. Carlos pitched in with her receiving as well, as she was the best receiver that didn't play as a libero with 38.37% efficiency in her reception. She was also named as one of the best outside spikers, along with Creamline teammate Jema Galanza. She thus tied Creamline teammate Alyssa Valdez as the most decorated MVP in the league with three each.

In just three years, Tots Carlos has won the PVL MVP trophy for the third time in her young career.

The Ateneo product led the league in average excellent sets at 7.26 — 2.11 sets higher than PLDT’s Rhea Dimaculangan. Carlos is second at spiking efficiency at 37.26-percent and third best server with an average of 0.31. Palma, meanwhile, was second at 0.68. Galanza won her third outside spiker citation, also doing so in the Open 2018 and Open 2019. Gumabao, meanwhile, took her second Best Opposite Spiker award — first since Reinforced 2018. She is the third leading scorer of the league at 142 total points — topping the league in spike efficiency at 39.68-percent and eighth best in average blocks per set at 0.37.

Creamline banked on its championship experience to dismantle Petro Gazz in four sets and clinch the Premier Volleyball League All Filipino title before ...

But the Cool Smashers took the next two sets, 25-20 and 25-18, applying intense pressure on Petro Gazz. But the Cool Smashers forced the Angels to a winner-take-all Game 3 with a nerve-wracking win in Game 2, 18-25, 25-16, 25-18, 23-25, 15-6. "Pagdating naman sa loob ng court we're just really there for each other."