The Creamline Cool Smashers have dominated the local volleyball scene. Now, the Philippines hopes they do the same in the upcoming AVC Cup.
Last Sunday, women’s volleyball team, the Creamline Cool Smashers beat KingWhale Taipei in the final match of the PVL Invitational. The win marks their second for the Premier Volleyball League, after also winning the PVL Open Conference earlier this year.
With their successive wins, the Cool Smashers have proven themselves as the strongest squad in the Philippines. So, with their Invitational win, the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) requested the team to represent the country in the upcoming Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Cup for Women.
With the AVC Cup starting this Sunday, August 21, Creamline is going to need all the support they can get, especially on home turf. And since we don’t want anyone with FOMO, here’s what you need to know.
ICYMI
We’re gonna get you up to speed.
The Creamline Cool Smashers have been having a cracking year. In this year’s PVL Open Conference, the team went undefeated throughout the preliminary rounds, the quarterfinals, and the semifinals. In the finals against the Petro Gazz Angels, the Creamline Cool Smashers swept their opponents in two matches. The Open Conference title marked their fourth PVL win.
A few months later, the PVL held its second conference of the year: the PVL Invitational. Seven out of the eight teams invited to compete in the tournament were teams already in the country’s professional volleyball league, including the Open Conference finalists, the Petro Gazz Angels. The only guest club was KingWhale Taipei.
In the preliminary round of the tournament, the Creamline Cool Smashers went up against their familiar opponents, only losing to the Cignal HD Spikers.
But, KingWhale Taipei proved to be a surprising addition to the tournament for Creamline as they served them their first and only loss in the semifinal round. The team from Taipei went undefeated, and both teams faced again in the final round.
But you already know how that went. Again, Creamline redeemed themselves after a 3-2 loss to sweep KingWhale Taipei 3-0 in the winner-takes-all match.
The Cool Smashers still remain the queens of Philippine volleyball. And as such, they will be repping the country in the upcoming AVC Cup taking place right here.
Don’t get FOMO
The Asian Women’s Volleyball Cup, also known as the AVC Cup for Women, is an international volleyball tournament that started in 2008. Since its inaugural year, the biennial competition has had six editions, this year marking its seventh.
Through the years, a total of twelve teams have entered the tournament. The Philippines has entered only twice thus far, finishing ninth in 2018 and qualifying in 2022. The 2020 edition was canceled due to the pandemic.
Although the tournament kicks off in the PhilSports Arena on August 21, Creamline is still set to announce its roster for the competition. But, we do know the countries our team ill be up against in the preliminary rounds.
The Philippines is part of pool A of the competition, slated to face China, Iran, South Korea, and Vietnam. On the other hand, pool B consists of teams from Australia, Chinese Taipei, Japan, Kazakhstan, and Thailand. Among the countries we are set to face, China may prove to be the toughest, as they are the winningest team in the history of the AVC Cup.
But, as only the country’s second time entering the tournament, Creamline will be looking to redeem the Philippines’ ninth-place finish from their maiden appearance in the Cup. And with their recent wins and their talented roster, they have a good chance of doing exactly that.
The Philippines has not won a gold medal for indoor volleyball since the 1993 Southeast Asian Games, so a win from this competition would definitely mean a lot to the country, the athletes, and the local sports community as a whole.
You won’t want to miss the possibility of witnessing history right in our own courts. You can visit TicketMax to buy tickets to watch the matches live.