MANILA -- Creamline head coach Sherwin Meneses is thrilled that the Cool Smashers have qualified for the semifinals but stresses that their team still has room to grow.

Creamline will enter the semis of the 2023 PVL All-Filipino Conference as the No. 1 seed after compiling a 7-1 win-loss record in the elimination round, capped by a four-set triumph against Akari last Tuesday in Iloilo.

"Marami pa kaming dapat i-improve pag-pasok ng semifinals," Meneses said immediately when asked for his thoughts on his team's performance.

The Cool Smashers missed out on an opportunity to sweep the Chargers, squandering a lead in Set 3 and failing to close out an Akari squad that was already eliminated from playoff contention. They responded in dominant fashion in the fourth set to pull off a 25-17, 25-22, 27-29, 25-8 triumph.

But their performance in the third set showed that there is much to work on for the Cool Smashers, said Meneses.

• READ: Creamline fends off Akari to cap elims as top seed
• READ: Creamline gears up for semis without Alyssa Valdez

"Consistency, napaka-importante. Every point, kailangan namin mag-focus sa kada point. Kasi kita niyo naman, noong third set medyo hindi maganda 'yung nilaro namin," he pointed out.

"Pero happy ako kasi walang na-injury, healthy kami maglalaro sa semis. So magpe-prepare kami para doon," he added.

His sentiments were echoed by star playmaker Jia de Guzman, who was credited with 22 excellent sets on top of eight points against the Chargers. Five of de Guzman's points came off her serve.

"Of course, we're very grateful for the win," the setter said after the game. "Any win is a big win going to the semifinals, but we also have a lot of things we want to fix heading to the semis."

"At the end of the day, yung momentum na nakuha namin in today’s win yung pinakamalaki," added de Guzman.

Creamline's opponent in the semifinals will be formalized after Thursday's game between PLDT and Choco Mucho.