Alyssa Valdez, Creamline not counting feisty Chery Tiggo out in PVL finals showdown

Creamline may have gotten ahead of Chery Tiggo in the 2021 PVL Open Conference championship round but team captain Alyssa Valdez said they should be wary of their gutsy opponent come Game 2 later today.

Valdez, whose power hit in the final set propelled the Cool Smashers to a thrilling five-set win over the Crossovers, scored 21 points all anchored on attacks as they will now need only a win to win the league's first professional title.

But Valdez said it will still be a tough match against Chery Tiggo, who gave them a scare in Game 1 on Wednesday.

"We're just really thankful that everything worked for us during the fifth set," Valdez said after the grueling match that lasted for 2 hours and 3 minutes.

"Of course, we really can't count out Chery Tiggo and we know that for a fact. But we're just really blessed that everyone was all in and our mindset is to just give our all."

After establishing a quick 2-0 lead, Creamline had a subpar performance in the third and fourth frames as Chery Tiggo stole those with Jaja Santiago leading the way with a team-high 25 points. Her sister, Dindin Santiago-Manabat, drilled 19 points.

But during the clutch moment in the fifth set, Valdez rose to the occasion and lifted her team en route to another crack at the title.

The former Ateneo star said she's hoping to bring all the lessons they got from yesterday's loss in today's match, which they hope will be the last one.

"Hopefully, we can bring all the good lessons in today's game while leaving all the mistakes behind."

Game starts at 5 p.m. at the at the PCV Socio-Civic and Cultural Center in Ilocos Norte with Game 2 of the battle for third between PetroGazz and Choco Mucho serving as the opening salvo at 2 p.m.

—Bea Micaller/JMB, GMA News