Tots Carlos, the two-time PVL MVP, finally had an impact as Creamline defeated UAI-Army 25-12, 25-18, 23-25, 25-23.

As she shares a place with import Yelo Basa in the 2022 Reinforced Conference, the former star player for the University of the Philippines largely played off the bench.

However, on Saturday, Carlos made the most of her brief time as she guided the Cool Smashers’ comeback against the Lady Troopers in the fourth set, finishing with seven crucial points.

“Very happy kasi limited yung time of playing na meron tayo so syempre gusto natin sulitin and nakaka-miss din maglaro eh,”remarked Carlos, who replaced Basa at the start of the fourth set.

“I’m very happy na nakalaro ako today and looking forward pa sa mga susunod.”

The 2022 PVL Open and Invitational Conference MVP was adamant in her response when asked if she regretted not winning the final MVP award of the season because of her limited playing time.

“No, sobrang wala,” she said. “It’s not an individual sport naman eh, it’s a team sport so we understand our role. Nae-explain naman sa amin yung sistema ni coach at ine-explain yung mga gusto nilang mangyari.”

In addition to Domingo’s 16 points, Galanza contributed a triple-double effort with 14 points, 11 digs, and 23 receptions, including the game-winning kill in the fourth set.

The Lady Troopers came alive in the third set thanks to Laura Condotta’s 20 points, which prevented the Cool Smashers from completing the conference’s first-ever sweep.

“This conference, talagang hindi mo masasabi ano yung ilalaro mo kasi syempre malaking bagay yung imports. Talagang, nagco-contribute sila every game, lalo na sa opensa,” Sherwin Meneses, the head coach, said.

Yelo Basa scored a game-high 18 points, but he struggled in the fourth set. Carlos took his place and scored seven points off the bench to help an all-Filipino lineup come back from a 2-9 deficit.

“Nung nag-sub nga, wala nang masyado sinabi si coach kasi nga we’ve been together for almost, ako with Creamline, almost two years na ako,” Carlos said.

“Nire-remind niya lang kami pag may nakakalimutan kami in terms of positioning, mga ganyan, mga atake, first position, mga ganon.”

Jovelyn Gonzaga scored 10 points, Nene Bautista added 12, as Army suffered its 12th straight defeat since the 2022 PVL Invitational Conference.

With a 6-1 record after the first round of the playoffs, The Cool Smashers are now through to the elimination phase and will take against Choco Mucho at the Mall of Asian Arena on Thursday.