Creamline announced on Thursday afternoon that it will field Erica Staunton as one of its imports for the upcoming 2025 AVC Women’s Champions League.
For Staunton, her return had already been a topic of discussion even before she left following the 2024 PVL Invitational Conference, making this development all the more exciting for her.
The American outside spiker will reinforce Creamline in the club championship, set to take place from April 20 to 27 at the Philsports Arena in Pasig. The Cool Smashers are grouped in Pool A alongside Kazakhstan’s Zhetysu VC and Jordan’s Al-Naser.
“Honestly, even when I was leaving, we were talking about like me coming back. So, yeah, I’ve been looking forward to it since even before I left the Philippines the first time. So, yeah, I’m grateful to be here and excited to be back,” said the 24-year-old reinforcement, who quickly became a crowd favorite during her first stint with Creamline.
“I’m excited. I’m excited to play with Creamline again. I love these girls. I love playing with these girls. And then, face some different competitions. So, I’m happy to be back and to get to play some more volleyball. Yeah, I’m really excited.”
(C) PVL Images
Staunton was present at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Thursday to watch Creamline take on Choco Mucho on the final day of the 2024-25 PVL All-Filipino Conference semifinals.
A proven winner, Staunton led the Cool Smashers to two championships in as many conferences. This time, she returns to a healthier squad.
During the 2024 Reinforced Conference, Staunton played for a Creamline team that was missing Alyssa Valdez and Tots Carlos, both recovering from injuries. Jema Galanza was also absent for most of the tournament due to her commitments with Alas Pilipinas but later joined Staunton in the Invitationals’ playoffs.
“I’m just really excited. I can’t wait to play with them. I, unfortunately, didn’t get to play much with them. They were kind of just coming back into practice when I was leaving. So, yeah, I’m really excited to share the court with them,” Staunton said about Carlos and Valdez.
Joining Creamline in representing the Philippines at the AVC Women’s Champions League are Petro Gazz and PLDT.
#WATCH: Erica Staunton is thrilled to don the Creamline colors once again as they battle Asia’s finest in the #AVCChampionsLeague 🏐
📹 Justin Valencia/Tiebreaker Times#PVL2025 pic.twitter.com/1INCKueP3M
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) April 3, 2025
