Their 11th championship proved to be the toughest yet, as the Creamline Cool Smashers navigated a grueling path filled with do-or-die games before outlasting the Cignal Super Spikers in a five-set thriller, 25-23, 22-25, 25-16, 16-25, 15-11, to complete a redemption run in the 2026 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference on Thursday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

 

“For me, the most special championship will always be the most recent one,” said Jia De Guzman, who returned to the PVL finals after a three-year absence and tallied 31 excellent sets in the clincher. 

 

Photo: PVL

 

“Every title has a different story and sacrifices. What makes this one special is everything we learned about ourselves and each other.”

 

Creamline’s journey was far from easy.

 

The Cool Smashers battled injuries and roster absences, finishing the preliminaries at 6-3 before being pushed to the brink in the playoffs. They survived a play-in knockout against Akari and another sudden-death match against Farm Fresh Foxies after losing to Cignal in the semifinals.

 

They also avenged earlier losses to PLDT High Speed Hitters and Farm Fresh — teams that beat them in the elimination round — to earn another shot at the title.

 

Despite the adversity, Creamline leaned on its championship experience, sweeping Game 1 before closing out the series in a hard-fought Game 2.

 

Photo: PVL

 

“I’m really happy and relieved. We couldn’t have done this without sticking together from start to finish. Every game had a different challenge, and each person had to step up in different ways. We went through some do-or-die games,” said De Guzman. 

 

“I’m proud of how we handled them as a team. Winning the championship wasn’t easy, we even went to five sets, but all our hard work and sacrifices paid off.”

 

Finals Most Valuable Player Bernadeth Pons and Jema Galanza anchored the team’s resurgence, both returning from injuries and national team duties to restore the squad’s full strength.

 

Photo: PVL

 

Team captain Alyssa Valdez highlighted the group’s growth after missing the finals in the previous three conferences.

 

“It feels amazing and fulfilling,” Valdez said. “We were able to rediscover ourselves as a team. It’s the first time in a while that we were complete, and that made a big difference.”

 

After falling short last year and missing the finals in three straight conferences, Creamline returned to the top, stronger, deeper, and more connected,  to reclaim its place as the league’s gold standard.

 

Coach Sherwin Meneses will always attribute their success to the team’s depth and relentless bond for overcoming a challenging campaign.

 

“It wasn’t a smooth journey because of injuries and setbacks, but every time someone was missing, others stepped up,” Meneses said. “It was truly a total team effort. Whoever was on the court delivered.”