Creamline reaches 15th finals, sets Cignal clash

Creamline leaned on its championship composure once more, turning back an upset-minded Farm Fresh side, 25-23, 14-25, 25-23, 25-19, on Thursday to book a place in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference finals on April 21, 2026.

The victory sent the Cool Smashers to their 15th finals appearance and kept alive the form and poise that have fueled one of the league’s most successful dynasties.

What initially looked like a tense, nerve-racking semifinal battle at the FilOil Centre eventually became another showcase of Creamline’s experience under pressure. The Cool Smashers, owners of 10 championships, rediscovered the dominant form that has carried them through countless title runs, while the Foxies’ inexperience on the big stage surfaced at the most crucial moments.

Creamline had to work hardest in Set 3, where it escaped a tense stretch that ultimately turned the tide of the match. From there, the Cool Smashers seized control and carried that momentum into a blazing 5-1 start in Set 4, using their composure and discipline in the closing stretch to gradually pry the frame open.

Farm Fresh still threatened several times, cutting the deficit to a single point on two occasions. The last came at 15-16 after Ces Molina rejected Bea de Leon at the net, but Creamline answered with the calm of a seasoned contender. Protecting a 21-18 lead, Jia de Guzman went to the middle and Pangs Panaga responded with back-to-back quick attacks, a sequence that highlighted the Cool Smashers’ trust in their system and helped restore order.

Royse Tubino briefly kept the Foxies alive with a strong finish to a long rally that trimmed the gap to 19-22, but that proved to be Farm Fresh’s final serious push. As the pressure peaked, the Foxies faltered in the endgame, with attacks going astray and composure wavering at the worst possible time.

Trisha Tubu, who had been clutch throughout Farm Fresh’s near-finals run, misfired on a crosscourt attempt that gave Creamline match point. In a last-ditch effort to extend the contest, the left-handed hitter attacked again, only to send the ball wide, sealing both Farm Fresh’s fate and Creamline’s march into the finals, where the Cool Smashers will face Cignal, which is set to make its first championship stint in the All-Filipino Conference.

“Sobrang hirap ng season na ‘to, pero pinaghirapan talaga naming sa training. Lahat ng hard work namin lumabas sa game na ‘to, (It was such a tough season, but we really worked hard in training. All of that hard work showed in this game),” said Panaga, who took Best Player of the Game honors after finishing with 13 points on seven attacks and six kill blocks.

More than the scoring, Panaga’s presence at the net anchored Creamline’s control, especially during the decisive fourth-set surge, where her timing and discipline in the middle disrupted Farm Fresh’s rhythm. The Cool Smashers’ ability to lock in defensively and execute late helped them take command of the two-hour, nine-minute match.

Tots Carlos delivered 15 points, all coming from attacks, while Jema Galanza matched Panaga’s 13-point output. Bernadette Pons added 12 points, and Creamline also drew a combined 17-point contribution from De Leon, De Guzman, and Michele Gumabao in a balanced offensive effort.

Farm Fresh got 21 points from Tubu, while veterans Molina, Tubino, and Mylene Paat contributed 19, 12, and 11 points, respectively. The Foxies actually finished with a 61-57 edge in attacks, but Creamline controlled the net with 12 blocks, four more than its opponent, and also held the advantage in playmaking, with De Guzman outshining Alohi Robins-Hardy in setting, 26-19.

Creamline also got strong work on the floor, with Carlos collecting 14 excellent digs, while Pons turned in an all-around performance marked by 17 digs and 17 receptions. Despite the loss, Farm Fresh remained on course in building its identity as a rising contender and now shifts its focus to a bronze-medal finish against the PLDT High Speed Hitters.

In the other semifinal result, PLDT closed its Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference campaign with a straight-sets win over Cignal, 25-17, 25-22, 25-23, in a non-bearing match Thursday at the FilOil Centre. It was a dominant but ultimately hollow result for the High Speed Hitters, who showed the depth that once made them early title favorites but failed to sustain that form when the stakes were highest.

The Super Spikers made a strong push in the final two sets, especially in the third, where they forced a tie at 11 and repeatedly erased four-point deficits before leveling the score again at 23. PLDT, however, regrouped after a crucial huddle, and Alleiah Malaluan delivered a decisive down-the-line hit before Mika Reyes returned to deny Ishie Lalongisip at the net, sealing the straight-sets victory in one hour and 17 minutes.

Savi Davison led PLDT with 21 points, while Malaluan added 11. Reyes, Kim Dy, and Majoy Baron chipped in seven markers each as the High Speed Hitters leaned on a balanced offense. PLDT held a slight edge in attacks, 45-41, but made a much bigger impact at the net, dominating the blocking department, 8-2, with Reyes accounting for three blocks.

For Cignal, Jessa Ordiales stepped up in place of Vanie Gandler and Erika Santos, who saw action only in the first set, and scored a team-high 13 points. Erin Pangilinan contributed eight, Lalongisip added seven, and Jewel Encarnacion finished with four as the Super Spikers, already assured of a finals berth against Creamline, opted to rest key players.

Coach Shaq delos Santos gave his bench extended minutes in a bid to avoid injuries ahead of the title series, and Cignal showed little urgency in a match that had no bearing on its campaign. PLDT, by contrast, played with purpose from start to finish, leaning on its starting unit to control the tempo and finish on a winning note.

That result, however, did little to change the bigger picture of PLDT’s campaign. The High Speed Hitters had topped the preliminary round and breezed through the Qualifying Round, raising expectations of another serious title run after their On Tour and Invitational Conference triumphs last year. But those hopes unraveled in the semifinals, where they squandered a 2-1 set lead in a five-set loss to Creamline before absorbing another defeat, this time in four sets against Farm Fresh, to bow out of championship contention.

Cignal’s path unfolded differently. After finishing second in the preliminaries, the Super Spikers rallied from a 1-2 deficit to stun Creamline in five sets and secure an outright semifinal berth. They carried that momentum into the Final Four, dispatching Farm Fresh in four sets before repeating over the Cool Smashers to punch the first ticket to the finals.

Creamline eventually joined them after its four-set win over Farm Fresh in the knockout duel, setting up what now shapes up to be one of the conference’s marquee title showdowns. Game 1 of the best-of-three finals between Cignal and Creamline is set for Tuesday, April 21, at the Araneta Coliseum, with first serve at 6:30 p.m., while PLDT and Farm Fresh will open their own battle for third place at 4 p.m.

Despite the loss to PLDT, Cignal heads into the finals holding a psychological edge after sweeping Creamline in their last two meetings. Still, those results may matter little once the championship series begins, with both teams expected to deliver another high-level clash between two of the PVL’s premier contenders.