In a career that has helped shape Philippine volleyball into what it is today, Alyssa Valdez has built a legacy that speaks for itself.
From championship runs with Ateneo in the UAAP to sustained success with Creamline in the PVL, Valdez has collected titles and milestones across every level she has played in. And that’s without the long list of individual awards that only underline her impact on the sport.
Simply put, there is nothing left for the 32-year-old outside hitter to prove to those watching from the outside.
But for Valdez, the story doesn’t end there — because the only standard she has never stopped chasing is her own.
“At this point of my career, I want to prove — not to other people, but to myself — that I’m here because I still want it and I still have it,” said the former three-time league MVP after the Cool Smashers snagged their 11th PVL championship last Thursday.
Valdez has taken a backseat to her younger teammates over the past couple of years, but she has still shown flashes of her old self whenever given the opportunity.
That presence became even more valuable in this championship run, where she played a crucial role in steadying the Cool Smashers — especially when Jema Galanza and Bernadeth Pons went down with key injuries at a point when the team was still fighting for a semifinal spot.
The 5-foot-9 outside hitter delivered a vintage performance of 22 points, 13 excellent digs, and 13 excellent receptions in their final preliminary match against the Super Spikers, helping Creamline secure a ticket to the qualifying round.
Valdez followed it up with 18 points, 19 excellent digs, and 20 excellent receptions in a loss to the same team in the qualifying round, before bouncing back with 20 points, 19 excellent digs, and eight excellent receptions in their play-in win over Akari that sent them to the semifinals.
The Cool Smashers skipper averaged a near triple-double of 20.0 points, 17.0 digs, and 13.6 excellent receptions during that pivotal three-game stretch that helped propel them back into the top four, before once again handing the keys to Pons and Galanza by the start of the semifinals.
“I just really wanna enjoy playing volleyball. I’m just very, very happy to all my teammates, sa lahat ng nagse-step up, at sa bawat isa ng Cool Smashers,” said Valdez.
“I think yung Creamline ngayon, I would say seasoned talaga. Kasi, throughout the conference, ang daming struggles — as in. Pero because we’re all veterans din, I think napag-usapan talaga nang mabuti kung ano yung mga kailangang gawin. And sobrang very mature, from the coaches down to our staff — talagang nag-contribute.”
Even as the spotlight shifted back to Pons and Galanza in the semifinals, Valdez’s imprint on Creamline’s run had already been firmly established. Her timely resurgence served as the bridge that carried the Cool Smashers through the most vulnerable stretch of their campaign.
And that, more than anything, speaks to the kind of player she continues to be for the Cool Smashers.
“Napakasaya at napakasarap sa pakiramdam. And most especially, one of the things that I’m very, very thankful for this conference is we actually redefined and found ourselves. Mas nakilala namin, mas nagkakilanlan ulit kami. And ang saya din kasi first time ulit na nakumpleto kami.”
