No Alyssa Valdez, no problem for Creamline

MANILA, Philippines — Creamline showed depth and class as it smothered Chef’s Classics, 25-11, 25-14, 25-21, even without top hitter Alyssa Valdez as the Cool Smashers rolled to their ninth straight win in the Premier Volleyball League Open Conference at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan yesterday.

The power-hitting Valdez, who normed 18.2 points in powering the defending champions to a sweep of the first round elims, didn’t suit up due to an ankle injury sustained during practice. But the Cool Smashers got the job done just the same to duplicate their three-set romp over the league’s newcomers in the first round.

Creamline dealt Chef’s Classics its eighth straight defeat in a forgettable stint in the first phase of the season-ending conference of the league organized by Sports Vision.

Fillet Cainglet-Cayetano led the Cool Smashers’ romp with nine attack points as coach Tai Bundit took the luxury of fielding in all his players in the 78-minute demolition.

Air Force, meanwhile, kept its own semis bid going, shooting down PacificTown Army, 25-22, 25-21, 25-19, to notch its third straight victory after dropping its first six games.