The Zus Coffee Thunderbelles. PVL Media BureauMANILA, Philippines – Zus Coffee stunned Creamline in a five-set thriller, 24-26, 25-20, 25-23, 22-25, 15-11, in the PVL on Tour on Saturday at the City of Passi Arena in Iloilo.
Leaning on the veterans Fiola Ceballos and Jov Gonzaga in the closing moments of the decider, the Thunderbelles completed an upset of the champion team, finding the clutch hits and the Rose Vargas service error to clinch their second win.
But it was rookie AC Miner and fiery spiker Chinnie Arroyo who provided the spark, notching the points just when Creamline tied at 5-all early in the fifth set courtesy of an Alyssa Valdez through-the-block spike.
Zus Coffee found the three-point separation midway, 8-5, as Jema Galanza's attack went out, establishing enough separation for the Thunderbelles to hold on.
This triumph marked the Thunderbelles' first-ever win over the Cool Smashers since the franchise joined the league just in 2024.
"Masaya, of course, Creamline pati 'yan. So gano'n pa rin, trabaho pa rin kami, bukas may game pa, mahirap din 'yon," expressed coach Jerry Yee after the game.
Arroyo led the winning efforts with 23 points on 22 attacks and one service ace, while Miner continued her impressive first-year run with 16 points. Setter Clo Mondonedo steered the Zus Coffee offensive with 30 excellent sets, and libero Alyssa Eroa held the fort for the defense with 21 digs.
Galanza paced the other side with 21 points on 16 attacks, three blocks, and two aces to go with 13 digs, as Valdez performed an all-around decent showing of 16 points and 21 receptions.
Zus Coffee returns to action on Sunday against Cignal, while Creamline hopes to halt its slide and bounce back against Chery Tiggo.