In a gripping PVL On Tour clash where experience often dictates the outcome, ZUS Coffee proved it is no longer just an upstart team — it’s a rising contender.

The Thunderbelles emerged victorious in their third straight five-set match, stunning the Creamline Cool Smashers, 24-26, 25-20, 25-23, 22-25, 15-11, in front of a roaring crowd at the City of Passi Arena on Saturday, July 19.

Chinnie Arroyo leads the charge with MVP-level outing

Chinnie Arroyo delivered a commanding performance, scoring 23 points — all but one off attacks — to spearhead ZUS Coffee’s breakthrough win over the multi-titled Creamline squad. Her showing eclipsed her 17-point effort in a loss to Akari and made up for a quieter nine-point outing against Capital1.

“I’m incredibly proud, especially of my teammates – no one backed down,” said Arroyo, who was named Best Player of the Game. “We stayed together and fought until the very end.”

ZUS Coffee overcame early deadlocks in the deciding fifth set and took control after AC Miner’s third consecutive point made it 6-5. Arroyo’s power spike and a Jema Galanza miscue extended the lead to 8-5 at the switch, which the Thunderbelles never surrendered.

Creamline falters in the clutch as Thunderbelles seal the upset

Fiola Ceballos came through with two critical points down the stretch, giving ZUS Coffee match point at 14-9. Though Creamline tried to recover behind Michele Gumabao and capitalized on an error by Jovelyn Gonzaga, a long serve from Rose Vargas sealed the victory for the Thunderbelles.

ZUS Coffee setter Cloanne Mondonedo also shined, tallying 30 excellent sets to edge Creamline’s Kyle Negrito (27). Her varied playmaking dismantled the Cool Smashers’ usually steady defense.

Miner scored 16 points, with support from Gonzaga (12), Troncoso, Santiago, Nogales, and Ceballos, who combined for 23 markers — showcasing the team’s balanced scoring arsenal.

Creamline, now 2-2, suffered its second consecutive loss following a rare straight-sets defeat to Cignal. Galanza led Creamline with 21 points, while Valdez and Gumabao added 16 and 14, respectively.

Though Creamline pushed the match to a fifth set after capitalizing on late errors from Nogales and Miner in Set 4, they couldn’t close it out in the decider. ZUS Coffee held firm and finally claimed its first win in three meetings against the league’s most decorated squad — and in the process, bolstered its bid for a quarterfinal berth with a 2-1 record in Pool B.