All good things come to an end, as the Creamline Cool Smashers missed the podium for the first time after 19 conferences in the PVL.
Entering Monday, 10-time champion Creamline has never finished outside of the top three since it joined the league in 2017. That impressive streak was snapped. The Cool Smashers suffered a quarterfinal exit at the hands of the Petro Gazz Angels, 25-23, 25-19, 16-25, 25-14, in the PVL Reinforced Conference at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
‘Records are made to be broken, so maybe this was just the time it happened,’ Creamline coach Sherwin Meneses told reporters after the tough loss. ‘But again, the most important thing is accepting the loss. Petro Gazz really deserved the win. They played extremely well, especially after losing their import. Their team truly has championship caliber.’
‘We have to accept what happened. As a coach, that’s the best thing I can say right now. There are still many conferences ahead, so it’s better for us to accept this early. No one wants to lose, of course,’ he added.
Meneses admitted their service-receive didn’t go well, and the breaks of the game also didn’t go their way.
It was a sad ending for American import Coco Schwan, who carried Creamline with 17 points, but it was a memorable experience playing in the PVL.
‘I’ve been crying since I got in the locker room. Everybody was so welcoming and I’m just grateful for being here and the opportunity,’ said Schwan. ‘I’d say that with great admiration for the way that the Filipinos admire and support volleyball.’
Schwan felt remorseful and bared that some of their teammates are no longer returning or retiring.
‘The atmosphere after the game was very sad. We got a couple of girls on the team that are not going to be on the team or they’re retiring,’ she said.
For Meneses, the reality is still uncertain for the Cool Smashers, as this is their first time losing this early in a tournament.
‘This is Creamline’s first time experiencing not making the semifinals. So it depends on the attitude and the resilience of the players-how they handle this. But there’s still plenty of time to bounce back,’ he said.