She had a good way of looking at it.
Breaking news: The Creamline Cool Smashers are good.
Creamline chalked up another win in the PVL Second All-Filipino Conference on Thursday after overpowering the Akari Chargers in four sets. It was only the team's 10th straight victory. No big deal.
The Cool Smashers are just a win away from power vacuuming the entire competition and completing a sweep of the elimination round.
The defending champions once again displayed their might and depth,
with Tots Carlos leading the way this time with 23 points. Jema Galanza and Pangs Panaga chipped in with 16 and 12 markers, respectively.
They, however, had a sputtering start, as Akari got the opening set, even leading by as much as 10 points at one juncture. Creamline also had to dig deep in the last two sets to fend off the Chargers.
While some may view this as a sign of slippage for the Cool Smashers, Carlos saw it in a positive light.
"It was a good game, lalo na paparating 'yung semis, nagkaroon kami ng ganitong situation na kailangan namin i-push through mga sarili namin to execute and bring out our game," said Carlos.
The three-time PVL MVP from Pampanga acknowledged the imposing height of Akari—with the likes of Dindin Santiago-Manabat, Fifi Sharma, Faith Nisperos, Ezra Madrigal, and Roselle Baliton—which gave them, well, a tall order.
"Malaki kasi sila. Kami yata may pinakamaliit na team so naging maganda rin 'yun for us kasi matututo kami paano maglaro against tall players, paano pumalo against tall blockers," added Carlos.
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They may not admit it, but the pressure is on for the Cool Smashers to complete the sweep heading into the semifinals. It could be a distraction or a motivation. But for the 25-year-old Carlos, it's about controlling what they can control.
"(Magtutuluy-tuloy 'yung momentum (kapag na-sweep namin). Every game importante naman para sa amin. Goal namin mag-top one, hindi rin naman namin control sino makakalaro namin. Maganda 'yung nagkakaroon kami ng iba't ibang siywatsyon going to the semifinals," said Carlos.
Creamline will close out its elimination round on Thursday against the Galeries Tower Highrisers.
(With reports from Jamie Velasco, One Sports Digital)