Creamline posted the first straight-set romp after four matches in the league's season-opening conference, overwhelming PLDT, 25-16, 25-18, 25-22, to tie Petro Gazz in the early Group B lead, Thursday at the Paco Arena and Sports Center.
The Cool Smashers, out for redemption after losing to the Chery Tiggo Crossovers in the finals of the league's inaugural pro staging last year, slowed down the High Speed Hitters from the get-go with superior hitting and awesome blocking, hardly encountering resistance on their way to the lopsided win.
PLDT actually pulled within, 22-24, on a Jovie Prado drop shot but after neutralizing Alyssa Valdez's attack, Jonah Sabete fired her own shot that however sailed long, enabling the Cool Smashers to complete the rout.
Despite the loss, PLDT is assured of a spot in the next phase since all four teams in Group B will advance, giving the High Speed Hitters more time to adjust and reach peak form in time for the knockout stage of the tournament compressed to a four-week battle to give way to the national team's training and buildup for the SEA Games in Hanoi in May.
"Naging maganda naman yung resulta nung pagkaka-training namin sa bubble pero siyempre first game pa lang, so hopefully mag improve pa kami every game," said Creamline head coach Sherwin Meneses.
Tots Carlos dropped 16 points off 13 attacks, two blocks, and an ace while Alyssa Valdez had 13 points and eight excellent digs in the victory.
Jema Galanza added 10 markers for the Cool Smashers while Jia De Guzman dished out 22 excellent sets along with three points.
On the other hand, no player from PLDT reached double digits with Dell Palomata scoring a team-high nine points.
