MANILA (UPDATED) - The Creamline Cool Smashers regained their winning ways in impressive fashion, grounding Chery Tiggo in a four-set affair on Saturday night at the PhilSports Arena.

The Cool Smashers recovered from a slow start and gained their rhythm both offensively and defensively en route to a 17-25, 25-11, 25-19, 25-21 triumph.

The victory came in front of an appreciative crowd of 5,562 fans, who watched as Creamline improved to 4-1 in the 2023 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference. It was a bounce-back triumph for the Cool Smashers, who were coming off a five-set loss to F2 Logistics last February 18.

"Medyo nag-adjust lang kami kasi talaga sa first set, medyo hindi naging maganda 'yung service receive namin kaya medyo na-apektuhan talaga 'yung atake namin. Pero naka-adjust naman kaagad," said Creamline coach Sherwin Meneses.

Three players reached double-digits for Creamline, led by Jema Galanza with 25 points on 22 kills, two aces, and a block. Michele Gumabao added 17 points, all on attacks, while Ced Domingo scored three of her 16 points on blocks. Tots Carlos had nine points in just three sets, as the Cool Smashers tallied a whopping 70-42 advantage in attack points.

Jia de Guzman was credited with 34 excellent sets, while Galanza laced her offensive output with 13 digs and 12 receptions. Libero Kyla Atienza also had 20 digs.

Creamline struggled in the first set with Carlos on the bench, but the two-time PVL Most Valuable Player was activated in the second frame and gave the Cool Smashers an immediate lift. They had a 17-7 advantage in attacks in Set 2 to claim a comfortable win and tie the match at one set a piece.

The Cool Smashers carried that momentum in Set 3, where Galanza spearheaded their attack to put her team in front, 2-1. The Crossovers looked to rebound in the fourth set, taking an early 10-6 lead off a Galanza mishit.

But Creamline won nine of the next ten rallies to take control, 15-11, with their defense paving the way for their offense. A daredevil save by Atienza, in particular, led to a Carlos hit that energized the pro-Creamline crowd.

The Cool Smashers' errors allowed Chery Tiggo to stay within striking distance, 23-21, but back-to-back hits by Michele Gumabao wrapped up the match in Creamline's favor after two hours and 15 minutes.

For the Crossovers, this was their second consecutive defeat after being swept by PLDT last February 21. They dropped to 3-2 in the tournament.

EJ Laure led Chery Tiggo with 15 points, while Shaya Adorador had 11. Mylene Paat was limited to 10 points in the defeat.