Michele Gumabao and Creamline finally gained redemption against a rival that had beaten them in their first two meetings in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference.

Carrying the burden of fault in the Cool Smashers’ stinging five-set loss to F2 Logistics in the elimination round, Gumabao played with fire in her eyes fueled by a desire for a payback in Game 1 of their best-of-three semifinal series last Saturday.

Gumabao uncorked 20 points in Creamline’s pivotal 26-24, 25-18, 22-25, 25-15, win in the series opener.

“I really wanted to bounce back from that previous game,” Gumabao said as Creamline moved a win away from a fifth straight all-Filipino conference.

The 30-year-old hitter pounded 19 of her points off kills in a rematch against the Cargo Movers exactly a month after the Cool Smashers absorbed a 25-23, 18-25, 25-16, 23-25, 14-16 defeat — the club’s second straight in as many encounters with the extension team that joined the league last year.

Gumabao felt that she let her team down in their previous encounter after committing crucial miscues late in the fourth set and two crucial errors in the fifth frame. She scored 14 in that match.

That game she said was her inspiration to atone for her mistakes.

“That last game really had a big impact on me, I really wanted to redeem myself for my teammates. That’s my mindset in the game,” Gumabao said.

Creamline actually had a sluggish start in the Final Four opener but the breaks of the game came its way.

After yielding the third set, Gumabao powered the Cool Smashers to an early separation for the all-important victory.

“We had a shaky start but the trust in me by my teammates and coaches was there. That’s a big thing for me, that they never lose faith in me,” Gumabao said.

The win was the Cool Smashers’ first against the Cargo Movers, who defeated them also in five sets in last year’s Reinforced Conference in a come-from-behind fashion.