Four days after dismantling Cignal in the PVL On Tour bronze medal match, Creamline once again proved its mastery over the HD Spikers—this time in a grittier five-set duel.

The defending Premier Volleyball League Invitational champions clawed back from a 1-2 deficit before pulling off a thrilling 17-25, 25-17, 22-25, 25-11, 15-8 victory, Thursday night at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.

The Cool Smashers, who swept the HD Spikers last Sunday in straight sets, 25-17, 29-27, 25-17, picked up where they left off, grinding out their first win of the tournament to improve to 1-1.

Michele Gumabao once again delivered in championship form, firing a game-high 22 points on 18 attacks and four blocks while adding 15 excellent digs. Jema Galanza backed her up with 18 markers on top of 17 receptions, while team captain Alyssa Valdez notched a triple-double of 11 points, 12 digs, and 14 receptions.

“Siguro unang-una, na-sweep din [nila] kami nung first round ng eliminations then nakabawi kami. Ibang iba na ‘yung mga games, talagang magkakakilala na, sa tingin ko ang naging advantage namin ‘yung experience ng team,” said Cool Smashers head coach Sherwin Meneses.

After dropping the third set, Creamline stormed back with a dominant 25-11 performance in the fourth frame to force a decider.

Riding Gumabao’s fiery start, the Cool Smashers raced to a 7-3 lead and never looked back.

Cignal briefly threatened with a 3-1 run, trimming the gap to 6-8, but consecutive hits from Gumabao and Valdez coupled with back-to-back miscues from Gel Cayuna sparked a 4-0 Creamline run for a 12-6 cushion.

Valdez misfired on an attack and later on a service attempt, but Galanza stepped up in the clutch, nailing a floating shot for match point before drilling a sharp cross-court kill to finish the job after two hours and 21 minutes of play.

“Yun ‘yung pinakamalaking advantage namin dito sa Invitational. Especially total team effort ‘yung nangyari ngayon kahit nag-five sets,” added Meneses.

Kyle Negrito steered the offense with 32 excellent sets while chipping in four points, while Jeanette Panaga and Sheena Toring combined for 15 markers.

On the other side, Heather Guino-o shone with 21 points along with 12 digs and seven receptions, but went silent in the deciding set.

Erika Santos, fresh off her MVP run in the PVL On Tour, was limited to 11 points as Cignal fell to 0-2.

Creamline will take on Chery Tiggo on Saturday at 6:30 p.m., while the HD Spikers will try to bounce back against PLDT earlier at 4 p.m.