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Cool Smashers barge into PVL finals

April 4, 2022 12:44 p.m.

ITS will and character tested, Creamline took Choco Mucho’s challenge to heart, battling back from a set down and pounding out a 23-25, 25-19, 25-18, 25-15 victory to clinch the first championship berth in the Premier Volleyball League Open Conference in Pasay Sunday.

The big crowd were back at the MOA Arena and so were the Cool Smashers in the finals as the 2018-19 champions came away with two decisive scoring runs in the last two sets, the first shattering a 15-all count with a six-point roll and the other breaking a 7-all game with a seven-point binge for a pair of breakaway romps.

Creamline, which failed to make it three-in-a-row in the league’s centerpiece event after losing to Chery Tiggo in Ilocos Norte last August, awaits the winner in the other semifinal duel pitting Cignal HD and Petro Gazz.

Game One of the Finals will start Wednesday, also at the MOA Arena.

A victory by Petro Gazz will set a knockout match for the other finals berth today (Monday).
Creamline also subdued Choco Mucho in four, 25-18, 17-25, 25-19, 25-11, in Game One at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan last Friday.

While the Flying Titans surprised the Cool Smashers with their solid net defense in the opening set that saw them produce seven blocks against their rivals’ one, the latter went to their vaunted power game, raining Choco Mucho with 62 attacks points, 26 more than their sister team.

“We’re thankful that we were able to recover from our first set loss. We came up short but the team’s maturity and chemistry are there. We only have to play our game,” said Creamline coach Sherwin Meneses.

And play they did.

The high-flying, jump-serving Tots Carlos stood at the forefront of Creamline’s offense with 23 points, including 19 attacks, while Jema Galanza unloaded 16 attacks and finished with 18 points and skipper Alyssa Valdez backed them up with a solid 17-hit effort.

Pangs Panaga added 10 points, making her presence felt at the end of the fourth set where she pumped in back-to-back attacks that likewise exposed the Flying Titans’ inability to respond to the Cool Smashers’ quick plays.

“We really trained hard and studied Choco Mucho’s play,” said Galanza, named the best player of the game that actually produced a lot of heroes for the Cool Smashers, who drew inspiration from and lived through the roars of the crowd all game to mark their return to the Open finals for the fourth straight year.

It was a sorry setback for the young Flying Titans, who had appeared headed to extending the series with an impressive win in the opening set. But they slowed down in net defense in the next two, scoring just two in the second and had zero blocks in the third.

Kat Tolentino finished with 14 points while Des Cheng scored 13 points, the last two kept the team in the hunt at 14-20 and 15-22. But the Cool Smashers pulled away again on those Panaga’s hits and Valdez did what she does best, closing out their rivals with a power hit that pierced through Bea de Leon’s stretched-out arms.

De Leon made nine points in a three-set stint while Aduke Ogunsanya and Cherry Nunag added six points apiece for the Flying Titans, who scored 23 points off the Cool Smashers’ unforced errors but yielded 10 aces.Stung by the Flying Titans’ strong start, the Cool Smashers drew level with an imposing win in the second set then broke away from a tight game midway in the third frame.

Fully regaining their confidence, not to mention the momentum, the crowd favorites squandered an early 6-1 lead in the fourth but like in the previous set, they broke a 7-all count with a decisive seven-point run on their way to completing a sweep of the Flying Titans.

Choco Mucho also had a fair share of the cheers and screams, particularly when the Flying Titans stymied the dreaded Creamline attacking game with solid blocking in the opening set and in the fourth when they rallied from 7-14 down to within 12-14 on a five-point roll capped by Isa Molde’s back-to-back hits.

But the heavy-handed Cool Smashers came out of the huddle an organized lot, firing away hits after hits behind Carlos, Valdez and Galanza on their way to posting another 21-14 cushion that proved to be too big a deficit for the Flying Titans to overcome.

NEWS

Katapult Digital chairman to conduct free brand-building conference in Manila on Thursday

 9:47 p.m. November 5, 2024    

GLOBAL CEO and sports coach James Michael Lafferty will be returning to Manila for a one-day business conference on how to build a top brand nowadays in the age of fast-growing technological revolutions at the Hilton Hotel Newport on Thursday.

Lafferty, the coach and personal adviser of two-time Olympian and Asia’s No. 1 pole vault king EJ Obiena, will conduct a free 2 to 4 p.m. exclusive networking talk on mastering the art of building global brands in an era of rapidly evolving consumer presence.

The two-hour free conference entitled “Building Global Brands” for a limited 30-person attendees plus a livestream availability is organized by Lafferty, who is the chairman of Katapult Digital, and their CEO Francis Uy.

Lafferty, who was recently named for the fourth time as one of the top 100 CEOs by Forbes, has held CEO positions in some of the most iconic branded companies including Procter and Gamble and Coca-Cola.

He is considered one of the world’s leading experts on branding.

Aside from Obiena, former Southeast Asian Games long jump queen Marestella Torres-Sunang was also one of the Filipino national athletes mentored by Lafferty up to now.

Uy will also discuss the Revolution of Artificial Intelligence and Hyper-Targeting and discover how AI and precision marketing are transforming growth strategies and redefining success in the digital age.

For inquiries and interested parties, please RSVP now before spots fill up: Email: roland.espiritu@katapultdigital.com Contact: +639064993789

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SM Super Pets Club offers more than paw-sibilities with new Facebook group

9:40 p.m. November 5, 2024

Calling all fur parents! The SM Super Pets Club Facebook group has officially launched in partnership with Grab Pet, and exclusive promos await! Connect with other pet owners, gain first dibs on new discounts from partner brands, and receive free consultations from veterinarians–all by joining the SM Super Pets Club.

The winning super pet and fur-parent duo pose in matching superhero-themed costumes.

The launch, held at SM Aura’s Paw Park on October 19, 2024, brought together excited pet parents for an afternoon filled with fun, bonding, and exclusive freebies. Pets arrived in their best costumes for a contest that saw both parents and furry friends show off their ensembles on stage.

Pets socialize with one another at SM Aura’s Paw Park, located at Skypark on Level 5.

Paw-syal at SM is now easier than ever with Grab Pet, which allows passengers to bring their fur-babies along for the ride.

With Grab Pet, passengers can safely bring their furry friends with them to any SM Paw Park in Metro Manila.

SM Supermalls continues to be a pet-friendly space, with this latest initiative creating an interactive hub for pet owners to share their experiences, tips, and more. Fur parents can expect more exciting events, deals, and community activities as the group expands.

Join the SM Super Pets Club Facebook group to connect with other fur parents and exchange photos of your pets.

Want to see more highlights from the launch event and learn more about the paw-sibilities that await you? Watch the video here:

https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fsmsupermalls%2Fvideos%2F583719037641608%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=0

If you haven’t yet joined the SM Super Pets Club Facebook group, now is the perfect time to do so. For more information, visit www.smsuperpetsclub.com or follow SM Supermalls on all social media.

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NEWS

DITO earns global recognition with 5 awards at 21st International Business Awards

8:00 p.m. November 4, 2024

DITO Telecommunity, the fastest-growing telco in the country, continues to prove its grounds as it recently bagged five awards at the recently concluded 21st International Business Awards (IBA) held in Istanbul, Turkey.

DITO won two silver awards- Influencer Marketing Campaign of the Year and Communications or PR Campaign of the Year-Social Media-Focused – for its Galing DITO 2024 campaign, which was launched early this year and headlined by the emerging Pinoy Pop boy group Alamat.

Moreover, DITO’s commitment to innovation was recognized with three bronze awards- Marketing Disruptor of the Year, User-Centered Redesign Drives Conversions Category: Achievement in User Experience, and Fastest-growing Company of the Year in Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.  These awards underscore DITO’s relentless pursuit of enhancing connectivity and customer service experience for the Filipino people.

According to Evelyn Jimenez, DITO Chief Revenue Officer for Consumer Business, these internationally acclaimed awards reinforce DITO’s position as a dynamic force in the Philippine telecommunications industry.

“As a young telco, we’re honored by these global recognitions that not only validate our team’s hard work and dedication but also cement our position in the Philippine telco industry,” Jimenez said.

“The GalingDITO campaign, which champions Filipino talent and excellence, was one of our key initiatives this year. This campaign is more than just an avenue to spotlight homegrown talents but also a reflection of our continuous commitment towards empowering more Filipinos powered by our inclusive, next-generation technology,” Jimenez added.

The IBA, also known as the “International Stevies,” is the world’s premier business awards program, recognizing outstanding achievements in various industries worldwide.

For more information, check out @DITOphofficial at Facebook and Instagram or visit https://dito.ph/.

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