The ‘Clutch Queen’ lives on.
Alyssa Valdez entered the court in the fifth set, ready and waiting.
And she delivered several clutch attacks despite spending the majority of Creamline’s title-clinching Game 2 win on Saturday on the bench in the Premier Volleyball League Second All-Filipino Conference finals.
Valdez started in the opening set loss before being benched for the next two frames in favor of Bernadeth Pons.
Her teammate provided the Cool Smashers with a much-needed energy boost, enabling them to take a 2-1 set advantage.
Pons retained her spot in the rotation in the fourth set, but the Flying Titans mounted a spirited fightback, forcing a decider.
And so Creamline head coach Sherwin Meneses turned to the three-time league MVP to steady the ship.
She did just that.
With Choco Mucho threatening to push the series to Game 3, Valdez – as she has done time and time again – came up big for the Cool Smashers in the clutch.
She scored five points in the fifth set, including the championship-clinching cross-court attack that handed the franchise its seventh title in 10 finals appearances.
“Anong pumapasok sa isip ko?
“Simula palang, umaga palang, today, ang sinasabi talaga namin one point at a time and I guess, ang nasa isip ko lang non pag pinasok ako ni Coach, gagawin ko lang din yung trabaho ko para makatulong sa team,” said Valdez, who finished with eight points
Valdez, whose playing time significantly decreased this conference, expressed her utmost gratitude to Meneses for giving her the chance to lace up in the fifth set.
“So ang iniisip ko nalang talaga non, bahala na. Basta ibibigay ko yung lahat para sa team. Maraming salamat din kay Coach, definitely, sa trust na binigay niya kasi di ako naglaro ng ilang sets, but binigay niya sakin yung opportunity na yun. Thank you, Coach,” said Valdez.
The 30-year-old seven-time PVL champion also mentioned that she drew significant inspiration from the record-breaking crowd of 24,459 inside the Big Dome.
Attendance in the game surpassed the 22,848 mark set by Ateneo and La Salle on April 30, 2016.
Valdez was also part of the previous record, as it was her final game with the Lady Eagles.
“It’s so nice to play kasi in that moment also, in this big stadium — with this crowd, intense game,” she expressed.
“Ang sarap maglaro!”
