18-25, 25-23, in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference at the Santa Rosa Sports Complex in Laguna late Tuesday.
At the heart of it all was Royse Tubino, who authored a dramatic turnaround in the closing stretch that defined both her night and the Foxies’ grit.
From the brink of becoming the scapegoat, Tubino rose as the match’s defining figure. With Farm Fresh clinging to a slim lead in Set 4, she committed back-to-back hitting errors that allowed Creamline to seize a 23-22 advantage, threatening to drag the Foxies into yet another draining five-set battle. The shift in momentum was palpable, and the pressure squarely landed on her shoulders.
But Tubino didn’t retreat.
Instead, she responded with poise and conviction. After a crucial Dij Rodriguez service error and a broken play, Tubino pounced on an overpass and hammered it down with both hands to regain control and push Farm Fresh to match point.
Moments later, after Creamline failed to equalize on an Alyssa Valdez attempt, Tubino delivered the knockout blow – an off-the-block hit that sealed the one-hour and 55-minute thriller and completed her redemption arc in thrilling fashion.
It was a sequence that encapsulated the Foxies’ evolving character – resilient, unflinching, and increasingly composed in the clutch.
Setter Alohi Robins-Hardy played a crucial role in that transformation, repeatedly trusting Tubino despite her late miscues. Earlier options to Trisha Tubu had been neutralized, but the playmaker kept feeding Tubino, a decision that ultimately paid off when it mattered most.
The win did more than just deal Creamline rare back-to-back setbacks. Farm Fresh’s late push for a Qualifying Round berth was strengthened as it improved to 4-4, securing fifth place behind PLDT (7-1), Cignal (6-2), Akari (5-3), and Creamline, which fell to 5-3.
However, the Foxies faced a formidable fourth-set challenge.
They appeared poised to pull away after building a 20-16 cushion behind a Tubu blast and a Tubino block on Pangs Panaga. But the Cool Smashers, true to form, refused to yield. A four-point counterattack, capped by a Jia de Guzman ace, erased the deficit and tied the set at 20, setting up a tense exchange of power, precision, and nerves.
Tubu briefly restored order with consecutive hits, but Creamline clawed back anew behind a hotly-disputed Tots Carlos conversion and a Tubino misfire. When another attack error from Tubino handed the Cool Smashers the lead, the momentum seemed fully tilted – until she flipped the script with her clutch finish.
Tubu led the charge with 22 points, while Tubino delivered a conference-high 18. Riri Meneses and Ces Molina provided solid support with 10 and eight points, respectively, as the Foxies bounced back from a 49-52 deficit in attacks by asserting dominance at the net. They tallied 14 blocks overall, highlighted by six from Meneses and five from Tubu.
Creamline, also known for its own net defense, was limited to just eight blocks, with Bea de Leon and Panaga contributing two each.
Carlos led Creamline with 18 points, while Valdez added 14. Panaga chipped in 10, and Rodriguez matched de Leon’s eight-point output.
Creamline, despite missing key pieces, showed its trademark fight.
The Cool Smashers played without head coach Sherwin Meneses, who has been confined since Monday evening, and were also without injured top hitters Jema Galanza and Bernadette Pons, forcing others to step into larger roles.
Rodriguez and Valdez answered the call, particularly in the third set where they spearheaded a strong response to extend the match.
Karlo Santos, the lead deputy, made the crucial decisions for the Cool Smashers.
Rodriguez, well-known for her beach volleyball exploits and a member of the Philippines’ SEA Games gold medal squad, provided timely points, while Valdez delivered a classic performance, combining forceful hits and powering through blocks to keep Creamline within striking distance.
But in the end, Farm Fresh’s composure – and Tubino’s redemption – proved decisive. pvl.ph
