On the other hand, the Petro Gazz Angels have only soared to their first PVL finals appearance in franchise history.
While there is a disparity in terms of titles won in the said tourney, the experience of the Angels could measure up with those of the Cool Smashers – something that Creamline team captain Alyssa Valdez can attest to.
“Actually, its been a while na intense ang Finals. Ang katapatan mo veterans, ang katapatan mo masyadong malalakas,” Valdez, who finished with a triple-double performance of 16 points, 15 excellent digs and 11 excellent receptions to help lift Creamline to a 1-0 series lead.
Still, despite facing a tough foe, Valdez and her Cool Smashers will still stick to their “happy-happy” and “heartstrong” mantra that helped them in their last two title conquests – against PayMaya and Ateneo-Motolite in the Reinforced and Open conferences, respectively.
“I guess mina-mindset lang sa amin ni coach Tai [Bundit] all the time na to play happy, na walang pressure. Kasi if we pressure ourselves to be perfect dun mahihirapan eh,” the 26-year-old Valdez shared.
Now that they are on the cusp of a three-peat, the Cool Smashers are laser-focused on capturing the crown in two games that would solidy their reputation as a dynasty in the PVL tourney.
However, though the five-time V-League MVP believes that a title on Saturday is not a long shot, she expects nothing but war in Game Two.
“Lahat ng preparation paghahandaan namin sa Game 2 muna and for sure yung PetroGazz, kitang-kita namin sa latter part of the set very eager sila, nandoon ang passion nila, ang heart nila so for sure dadalhin nila yun sa second game,” the product of Ateneo said. “Sana kami rin dalhin namin yun, yung teamwork.
“We’re thinking of the worst but also thinking of the best also for our team.”
