Creamline outlasts Nxled in four-set PVL Invitational opener

Games Tuesday
1:30 p.m. — PLDT vs. Nxled
4 p.m. — Farm Fresh vs. EST Cola
6:30 p.m. — Creamline vs. Ho Chi Minh

MANILA — Creamline weathered a third-set stumble and held off Nxled, 25-20, 25-23, 23-25, 25-20, on Monday night to join PLDT atop the early standings of the PVL Invitational at Araneta Coliseum.

After missing a chance to finish the match in three sets, the Cool Smashers regrouped from an erratic third frame and pulled away late in the fourth to win in 2 hours, 3 minutes.

Tots Carlos, Jema Galanza and Alyssa Valdez supplied the finishing kick that finally subdued the hard-fighting Chameleons.

Galanza’s back-to-back hits gave Creamline a 20-17 cushion before Carlos scored three of the team’s next points to preserve a three-point lead at 23-20.

Valdez converted on her second attempt, using an off-speed shot after Nxled dug her initial power hit.

Jonah Escamillan then sent an attack wide to give Creamline match point.

Nxled challenged the ensuing no-touch call in a last-ditch attempt to extend the match, briefly delaying Creamline’s celebration.

Video replay showed the ball had not grazed a Creamline defender’s hand, confirming the call and sealing the victory.

Setter Kyle Negrito steadied Creamline’s offense through the tight exchanges and finished with 31 excellent sets.

Her most creative delivery came late in the match, when she made a twisting set to Carlos during a scramble and allowed the veteran hitter to score a key point.

Negrito said the Cool Smashers remained patient, fought for every point and refused to let Nxled’s resistance dictate the outcome.

“We just kept working. We took it one point at a time, and whenever we found ourselves behind in a set, we kept fighting until we were able to win it in four sets,” Negrito said in Filipino.

Negrito also contributed six points.

With the tournament packed into one week, Negrito said the Cool Smashers could not afford to look too far ahead.

“It’s only a one-week tournament, so we really have to take it one point and one game at a time. Today’s game is done, so it’s time to rest and train, then fight, fight, fight,” she added.

The six-team Invitational uses a single round-robin format, with the top two teams advancing to a winner-take-all championship match.

Sachi Minowa, formerly known as Jaja Santiago, led Creamline with 19 points in her official return to league play after seeing action in the On Tour Showdown.

The 6-foot-5 Japanese standout maximized her height and reach at the net, scoring on quick, heavy attacks off Negrito’s sets while providing a defensive presence that limited Nxled’s hitting lanes.

Galanza, Carlos and Valdez added 17, 14 and 13 points, respectively, giving Creamline four players in double figures.

Escamillan led Nxled with 20 points but saw her final attack sail wide to give Creamline match point.

EJ Cariño added 18 points, while MJ Phillips finished with 11. Jacqui Acuña and Myla Pablo chipped in eight and seven points, respectively.

For a stretch, Nxled appeared poised to force a deciding fifth set.

The Chameleons seized momentum by capitalizing on Creamline’s uncharacteristic errors in the third and threatened to carry that surge into the fourth.

Creamline, which won the Invitational in 2022 and 2024, responded with the composure of a two-time champion.

The Cool Smashers turned the fourth set into another test of nerve, answering Nxled’s challenge with a steady finishing run.

The Chameleons remained within 17-20 before Creamline combined power at the net with timely defense to finally shake off its persistent challenger.

It was a fitting response after the Cool Smashers nearly squandered a commanding position in the third set.