Michele Gumabao and the Creamline Cool Smashers celebrate a point during a PVL Invitational game against Cignal. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
Michele Gumabao received just one instruction from her coach.
“Coach Sherwin said, ‘just hit it,’” the veteran blocker said.
Gumabao heeded the call, unleashing a barrage of attacks in the decisive moments to power Creamline past Cignal, 22-25, 25-17, 22-25, 25-11, 15-8, and kick off the PVL Invitational on a winning note on Thursday at Philsports Arena.
“I just went for it,” added Gumabao, who finished with 22 points, including five in the final set. “That’s all that was in my mind—when I see a chance, I hit it with all the power I have.”
After falling behind 1-2 and enduring a stinging third-set collapse, the Cool Smashers flipped the switch. They dominated the fourth frame and leaned on Gumabao’s firepower to create a 12-6 cushion in the fifth.
Sheena Toring and Jema Galanza then delivered the final blows.
The reigning Invitational MVP tallied 18 kills and four blocks, and added 15 digs in a match that tested Creamline’s resolve.
“Even in the fifth set, we can’t show we’re tired,” said Gumabao. “That’s what I focused on, and of course, I trusted my teammates. I wouldn’t be able to score without their support and teamwork.”
Creamline’s fourth-set turnaround was punctuated by an unexpected spike from setter Kyle Negrito, who registered 32 excellent sets and four points. That burst carried over into the decider, where the Cool Smashers simply refused to fold.
Galanza chipped in 18 points and 17 receptions, including the match-winning kill, while Alyssa Valdez contributed 11 points, 14 excellent receptions and 12 digs.
Despite an official 1-1 record due to carryovers from the PVL on Tour semifinals, Gumabao was quick to frame the win as a lesson in resilience.
“I think the best thing we got from this match was winning a five-setter,” she said. “We lost our previous ones, and we really felt the pressure again. That’s what we needed—to overcome that pressure.”
“Right from the start, we knew we couldn’t relax—even if we’ve had good results in previous games. This is a new season, and we need to keep pushing. We can’t just go with the opponent’s pace. That’s actually one of the things we struggled with—we were getting pulled away from our own game. We need to overcome that.”
Cignal, which dropped to 0-2, had 21 points from Heather Guino-o and a quiet night from On Tour MVP Erika Santos, who finished with 11 points on 40 attacks.
Creamline’s next test comes on Saturday against Chery Tiggo, and Gumabao knows the path only gets tougher.
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“Our goal is always the championship,” she said. “But we take it one game at a time. The turnaround between games is so quick. Right now, we focus on rest, recovery and getting better.”