Creamline showed its trademark composure under pressure, turning back a surging PLDT side to escape with a gritty five-set victory, 22-25, 27-25, 19-25, 28-26, 15-10, for a dramatic start to its 2025 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference semifinals campaign on Saturday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

The Cool Smashers had to dig deep against an in-form High Speed Hitters squad, pulling through in extended second and fourth sets before closing it out strong in the decider, much to the delight of a roaring 12,441-strong crowd. The win also put Creamline level with Cignal atop the early semifinals standings, both holding identical 1-0 records.

“Siyempre, masayang-masaya kasi, unang-una, very entertaining ‘yung game para sa mga fans. Sobrang daming tao at sobrang daming fans,” said Creamline head coach Sherwin Meneses.

(C) PVL Images

Bernadeth Pons was all over the court in the Cool Smashers’ hard-fought victory, firing a game-high 28 points on 21 attacks, four kill blocks, and three aces, while also tallying 16 excellent digs and 22 excellent receptions in a monster triple-double performance that drew “MVPons” chants from the pink-clad supporters.

“Siyempre, sobrang morale booster nitong game na ito sa amin, kasi semis na ‘to. Sobrang importante talaga na makakuha kami ng panalo,” said the former Invitational Conference MVP.

With the match slowly slipping away in the fourth set, Creamline leaned on its championship pedigree and erased three PLDT match points. Jema Galanza and Tots Carlos delivered clutch hits before Savannah Davison’s crucial attack error forced a deciding fifth set.

That gutsy fourth-set escape ultimately paved the way for the Cool Smashers’ strong fifth-set performance, where Galanza, Pons, and Bea De Leon combined for a 5-0 blast that turned a slim 5-4 edge into a commanding 10-4 lead.

From there, Creamline held firm, doing just enough to finally solve the High Speed Hitters and snap a four-game losing streak against them, with its last win over PLDT coming in the 2024 PVL Reinforced Conference on July 30.

“Masayang-masaya kami na nakuha namin ‘yung panalo at naka-isa rin kami sa PLDT. Pero hindi pa tapos ‘yung trabaho—kumbaga, nag-uumpisa pa lang ngayon. Magpa-practice kami ng two days for Cignal, then trabaho ulit. Ayun ‘yung mindset namin,” said Meneses.

Galanza, who played limited minutes in their previous win over Akari in the play-in and finished scoreless, erupted for 17 points, while team captain Alyssa Valdez added 10 points in just three sets in the two-hour-and-20-minute victory.

Three players—Jeanette Panaga, De Leon, and Carlos—all finished with eight points apiece. Jia De Guzman dished out 20 excellent sets off the bench, while Kyla Atienza anchored the floor with 17 excellent digs as the Cool Smashers, despite yielding 31 errors, stayed composed in the clutch to secure the important win.

Creamline will look to strengthen its push for a Finals return when it takes on streaking Cignal on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at the same venue.

(C) PVL Images

Meanwhile, PLDT is now tied with Farm Fresh at the bottom with 0-1 slates, both facing must-win situations early in the round-robin semifinals to stay in contention.

Rookie outside hitter Alleiah Malaluan posted a career-high 23 points on 19 attacks and four kill blocks, along with 11 excellent digs and 26 excellent receptions, while Davison added 22 points and 14 excellent receptions.

Kianna Dy scored 16 points in a losing effort. Kim Fajardo dished out 26 excellent sets, while Kath Arado recorded 28 excellent digs for the High Speed Hitters.

PLDT will look to bounce back against Farm Fresh, also on Tuesday at 4 p.m.

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In just her second game back from a minor knee injury, Jema Galanza made her presence felt in a big way—powering Creamline to a cardiac five-set victory over PLDT to open its 2026 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference semifinals campaign on Saturday.

Galanza, who returned from a three-game absence but was held scoreless in limited minutes during their play-in win over Akari last Tuesday, teamed up with Bernadeth Pons to steer the Cool Smashers to a 22-25, 27-25, 19-25, 28-26, 15-10 comeback win against the High Speed Hitters at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

The former league MVP finished with 17 points while also providing the energy and spark that fueled the emphatic victory, pushing Creamline closer to a return trip to the best-of-three Finals.

“Sobrang, sobrang happy, syempre. And, yun nga, sabi nga ni [Bernadeth] Pons, nakaka-boost ng morale,” said Galanza.

“And, alam mo ’yon, after ng game na ’to, ang iisipin lang namin ay makarecover. And, mag-double time kami dun sa mga nararamdaman namin para all throughout Semis to Finals, talagang all out kami.”

(C) PVL Images

Coming off the bench in the first two sets before starting the rest of the way, the 29-year-old outside hitter said she stayed focused on giving the Cool Smashers much-needed points and stability on offense.

She added that her strong performance came after head coach Sherwin Meneses reminded her to play freely and without pressure, allowing her to settle into her rhythm and make an impact.

“Siyempre, makapagbigay ng points, manalo, and walang injuries. Kasi mga gano’ng games talagang hindi mo masasabi. Sobrang grabe yung pressure, mataas yung pressure. So, lagi lang akong ni-re-remind ni coach na gumalaw ako nang walang pressure para iwas tayo sa injuries. So, yun lang yung finocus ko buong game,” said Galanza.

“Siguro, nag-trust kami nang sobra sa isa’t isa. And, kung meron man kaming pagkakamali o hindi namin napuntos, well, yun nga yung sabi din ni Coach na kung di kami makapuntos or may error, bumawi lang agad. So, I think yun yung nangyari, fourth set to fifth set. Kaya, nakuha namin yung set.”

Galanza, however, knows they will need to sustain that composure moving forward, especially with Cignal up next—a familiar foe they have already taken to five sets twice, splitting wins in both the preliminaries and qualifying round.

“So, pangatlong beses na namin sila makakalaban ngayon. I think, alam na alam na namin at alam na nila kung ano ang ilalaro namin. So, mahaba-habang laro ulit to sa Cignal,” said Galanza.

“And, buti na work out namin yung composure namin itong PLDT. Kasi, sobrang importante siya sa magiging game namin sa Cignal.”

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The University Athletic Association of the Philippines formalized a fresh five-year contract extension with broadcast partner Cignal TV, ensuring that the league’s games will continue to reach audiences nationwide and internationally from Season 89 to Season 93.

With the renewed broadcast and marketing partnership, Cignal will remain the UAAP’s official broadcast partner for the next five seasons, beginning with Season 89—which Far Eastern University will host—extending a long-standing collaboration that has significantly enhanced the league’s visibility and accessibility through Cignal’s multiple broadcast and streaming platforms.

Since joining forces in 2020, Cignal has significantly expanded the reach of UAAP games through free-to-air broadcasts on One Sports, while also launching the UAAP Varsity Channel, the country’s first and only 24/7 channel dedicated solely to varsity sports.

“I think we’re very glad and privileged to extend our coverage of the UAAP, which is the premier sports league in the country, with its member universities. It’s a five-year engagement, and we promise to improve the coverage of all the sports of the association,” MediaQuest Holdings Inc. Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan said.

“There’s no pragmatic reason. Sports is one avenue for a certain segment of our people and the disadvantaged to obtain the material blessings they won’t be able to get by them becoming a basketball player, a badminton player, or whatever. It gives them that avenue to improve their welfare. Number two, it teaches values that are important to life. The discipline, the hard work, the ability to be magnanimous in victory and humble in defeat. So it just improves the overall character of people or persons,” Pangilinan added on his continued support for the growth of Philippine sports.

In 2023, Cignal further expanded its coverage to OTT through the launch of Pilipinas Live, primarily aimed at bringing all UAAP events to fans around the world.

While flagship events such as men’s basketball, women’s volleyball, and the annual cheerdance competition remain the UAAP’s mainstream draws, Cignal has continuously worked hand-in-hand with the league to broaden coverage of developing sports such as women’s basketball, men’s volleyball, football, baseball, beach volleyball, and esports, among others.

Season 88 Chairman and University of Santo Tomas rector Fr. Richard Ang, O.P., expressed confidence in the strengthened partnership, emphasizing the importance of consistent, high-quality coverage in showcasing the talent and stories of student-athletes across all disciplines in the UAAP.

“Today’s ceremonial signing represents a shared vision to elevate varsity sports, empower young athletes, and bring the excitement of the UAAP games into homes across the nation through a wide-reaching broadcast coverage, and we ensure that the talent, hard work, and determination of our varsity players are recognized and appreciated at a larger scale,” Fr. Ang said.

“The UAAP strongly dedicates itself to fostering intellectual growth, sportsmanship, leadership, and a strong sense of community through sports. It is our commitment to bring into life the transformative power of sports, to unite the member schools, nurture dreams and aspirations, and inspire young people to build this nation,” he added.

For its part, MediaQuest President and CEO Ricky Vargas reiterated Cignal’s commitment to delivering fresh concepts and comprehensive broadcasts that aim to capture the spirit of varsity sports—whether at the grassroots level or the collegiate stage.

“We’re very happy that we are working with the UAAP. It’s a content that we value, it’s content that the Filipinos love, and it’s a content that supports our love for basketball, and it’s a content where the Filipino people enjoy,” Vargas said.

“It would be a crime if we do not cover the UAAP to the Filipino people, as we look at ourselves as a sports channel since we have one of the widest range of sports content. And we value the UAAP. We value your partnership, and we hope every year that we cover the games, you give us feedback so that we can continue to improve,” he added.

With the extension now signed and sealed, both Cignal and the UAAP reemphasized their commitment to working hand-in-hand to enhance the viewing experience, explore new platforms and modes of storytelling, and deepen fan engagement as the league continues to grow in the years to come.

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