Having last represented the Philippines on home soil six years ago, Alyssa Valdez is eager to return to the international stage in the 2025 Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Champions League, where Creamline will be one of the country’s representatives.
The Cool Smashers, along with the Petro Gazz Angels, were announced on Saturday as the Philippines’ representatives in the continental club tournament by PVL president and PNVF vice president Ricky Palou.
In an interview on One PH’s Morning Matters last week, Valdez expressed her excitement about donning the national colors again.
While she acknowledged that a new generation of stars is now taking center stage, she remains grateful for the opportunity to represent the country once more.
“I just said it a few weeks ago, but now I’ve been given another chance, so I take it as a big opportunity to showcase everything I’ve learned from my previous experiences with the national team,” said the 5-foot-9 outside hitter.
“Very blessed to be given this opportunity, and I hope we can put on a great performance for the Philippines.”
The last time Valdez played in an international tournament at home was during the 2019 Southeast Asian Games. In the 2022 AVC Cup for Women, which the Philippines hosted, Creamline represented the country but Valdez was sidelined due to dengue.
Now, she is looking forward to hearing the roar of the home crowd once again after six years.
“I think the last time I played for the national team in front of our home crowd was back in the 2019 SEA Games, so it’s very exciting,” she said.
“It’s just so nice na kahit papaano kasama natin ang ating mga kababayan na lumaban representing our country. Exciting times for Philippine volleyball. Hindi lang naman ito nilu-look forward natin, madaming international tournaments, especially the men’s. World championships will be here also, so exciting times for Philippine volleyball.”
The AVC Champions League will feature 12 club teams from across Asia and will be held from April 20 to 27 at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
Originally, the 2024-25 PVL All-Filipino Conference champion was supposed to be the Philippines’ lone representative.
However, due to time constraints, the federation decided to send the top two teams after the preliminary round — Creamline and Petro Gazz — both of which finished with identical 10-1 records.
