Despite their elimination from finals contention in the middle of their game against Chery Tiggo, Alyssa Valdez and the rest of Creamline made sure to respect the game and finish it with their heads held high.
The Cool Smashers only needed to win the game against the Crossovers in three or four sets to be able to clinch the second finals spot in the 2022 Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference.
Unfortunately, Creamline could not get the job done. They lost the second and third sets after winning the first – which booted them out of the finals race.
Still, the Cool Smashers went all out, dominating the fourth set. They eventually sealed the game in the fifth to take a 25-16, 20-25, 14-25, 25-11, 15-9 victory over the Crossovers at the Philsports Arena.
Valdez said that it was a weird feeling to win a game and miss out on their main goal at the same time. Still, she felt mighty proud of the professionalism that the entire team showed throughout the roller coaster affair.
“It’s weird. It’s kinda weird na even if we won the game, unfortunately, we weren’t able to get into the Finals. But, we have to finish it. We have to respect the game, and buong Creamline team did that,” said Valdez as she tried to fight off tears after the win.
“So, I’m actually proud of the team also. And it’s not over yet. I mean, we’re also given this opportunity also to reflect on ourselves, on our team, and that’s a very good thing for us. It’s been a while since it happened. So we take it as a challenge also,” she added.
“What we did noong fourth and fifth set, we just let it all out. It was really free volleyball, we respected the sport.”
The reigning Reinforced Conference MVP admitted that the pressure definitely came in during the third set, which they lost in a lopsided manner. Valdez bared that they did not handle the situation like a championship team.
“Well, I think pressure came in. And, it’s been a while since we felt that pressure. It’s been a while na nabigyan kami ng ganitong situation also. I think we actually didn’t get to handle it in such a way na as a champion team,” said Valdez.
“So, on us, on us. But, learning, we have to keep on learning. And iba-iba naman ‘yung mga sitwasyon every time. So we’re just really lucky to be in this situation. Actually, the privilege to feel that pressure and yeah, we’re just grateful pa rin,” she added.
Indeed, it was a heartbreaking moment for the Cool Smashers, who were a title away from securing a historic grand slam. They also missed out on an eighth consecutive finals appearance.
The thought has yet to sink in on Valdez. But if there’s one thing for sure, it’s that Creamline will use this experience to bounce back, especially in their upcoming bronze match against the Crossovers.
“We haven’t felt this talaga na hindi kami lalaban din sa Finals, it’s been so long. So iba rin ‘yung matututunan namin coming into the bronze na game. So, we’ll take it one game at a time talaga. And, that’s why I feel like at the end of the day, pagdating namin sa next games namin, mas ganoon ‘yung mentality namin,” said Valdez.
“Di pa nagsi-sink in siguro.”
