The Inquirer Sports Newsletter

 

December 15, 2023

It's going to be a clash of heavyweights for the PVL crown. (PVL IMAGES)

Hey there sports fan, Creamline reached the Finals undefeated. Choco Mucho took the longer route there. But it made the Big Dance anwyay.  So we're at this point: The two most popular teams in the Premier Volleyball League will duke it out for the All-Filipino crown.  The Cool Smashers drew first blood with a collected effort in Game 1. In case you're still counting, that's 10 straight games now that Creamline has beaten its sister team. You can tell the Flying Titansare desperate to end that run of losses. And they have no choice on Saturday but to end that slump. The Cool Smashers will be gunning for the close-out win at Smart Araneta Coliseum.  The fireworks in Game 1 managed to refocus the spotlight on the court. Before the Finals got going, a pair of stunning news hijacked the volleyball conversation as F2 Logistics announced it was disbanding its squad while Akari announced the resignation of coach Jorge de Brito, who will leave the squad after its most successful conference in its young franchise history. All it took was a deadlock in Game 1 after two sets and a Choco Mucho lead in the third to make everyone forget the off-court news. Meanwhile, in Choco Mucho's dramatic win over Cignal, there was cause for worry over at the Flying Titans' camp in the fourth set when Deanna Wong looked to be in unbearable pain during a timeout. As it turns out, Wong aggravated a knee injury and the pain was worsening with each passing minute. But the ace setter gritted her teeth and buckled down to work, setting up a crucial point in  the play immediately after that timeout as Choco Mucho held on for the victory.

The Green Archers are champions once again.  (UAAP MEDIA)

Meanwhile... If you still need your UAAP basketball fix, go ahead and visit our archives and enjoy reading about La Salle's amazing journey to the UAAP crown (And also if you want to read stories and features about Far Eastern U's victory in the Cheerdance Competition).  But wait, there's more.  University of Santo Tomas also made history by finally ending National U's domination of women's basketball in the UAAP, with a dramatic Game 3 victory sealing the school's return to the throne. If you want to read the exclusive features we did on the Tigresses, subscribe to our digital platform, Inquirer Plus, through the link below.  What we're up to next: There's the PBA Commissioner's Cup, which is slowly heading to a busy Christmas week schedule. We'll also be covering Sunday's NCAA men's basketball Finals decider between Mapua and San Beda. We'll also have a lot of guys on ground to cover Saturday's Game 2 between Creamline and Choco Mucho so keep it here with us across all our platforms.  Number of the Week: 30 That's how many straight games Creamline has won in the PVL All-Filipino conference so far. And the Cool Smashers have yet to lose there.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK “[Leading the team is] my responsibility and I don’t want to let the team down.” —Deanna Wong, Choco Mucho setter, on playing the fourth set of a semifinal duel against Cignal with a bum knee.

Don't forget to try our weekly sports quiz which you can access by joining our Viber community, which also featres the freshest sports updates.  Buy the Inquirer at newsstands, subscribe to our digital edition, Inquirer Plus, visit our online site and follow us on socials (Twitter: @inquirersports; FB: facebook.com/inquirersports) for more stories and updates—or to send us questions or suggestions of stories you'd want to read. Have a great and safe weekend! See you next Friday. Francis Francis T. J. Ochoa is the Sports Editor of the Philippine Daily Inquirer. For comments, suggestions and questions, hit him up on Twitter (@ftjochoaINQ).