SANTA ROSA — As Eya Laure walked out of Chery Tiggo’s dugout in the Santa Rosa Sports Complex, she and the rest of the Crossovers were welcomed by a sea of roaring Creamline fans who were up and ready to cheer for their beloved Cool Smashers.
It was an atmosphere that Laure is familiar with. She has always enjoyed and thrived in jam-packed games, thanks to her time with the UST Golden Tigresses in the UAAP.
Unfazed by the massive Creamline fan base, the 24-year-old sophomore spiker looked at the crowd, took a deep breath, and soaked it all in.
Then she hit the court for the pregame warmups.
For her, it represents something that she has always been dreaming of for Chery Tiggo.
“Tumingin ako sa buong arena, lahat naka-pink, mga 90-percent. Syempre ako, galing din ako sa college, yun yung idi-dream mo rin kasi na sana marami ring naka-red,” said the former UAAP Rookie of the Year.
Carrying the hope that the Crossovers could get the same support that the Cool Smashers are currently receiving, Laure took charge.
And she led Chery Tiggo to a stunning 25-18, 26-24, 25-23 sweep of the Cool Smashers at the Santa Rosa Sports Complex here, Saturday.
She finished with a game-high 14 points on 12 attacks and two aces – including the match-clinching attack that halted the Rebisco-backed squad’s 19-game winning streak.
Laure also added four excellent receptions.
It was a massive win for the Crossovers, who were able to arrest their two-game slide.
Moreover, they handed the reigning All-Filipino Conference champions their first sweep since the 2019 Reinforced Conference.
“Pag naririnig ko talaga yung sweep, parang nakikita ko na yung sarili ko talaga na sumisilip,” said Laure in jest, referring to the meme making rounds on social media centered about her ‘no sweep’ remark against La Salle in her final year with UST.
“Pero siyempre, Creamline kasi respetado sila na team. ‘Pag sinabing Creamline, para siyang Barangay Ginebra sa PBA ‘di ba? Nakikita niyo naman. Bago mag-start yung laro, siyempre ‘pag sinabi Chery, may mga sumisigaw [pero kapag] Creamline, grabe yung sigaw,” she continued.
Laure hopes that the significant victory can not only ignite the fire in the Crossovers’ fan base, but also attract more people to show their support for the up-and-coming squad.
“Pero one step at a time. Eto sanang panalo namin, masabi rin sana namin na kaya naming lumaban as a team. Teamwork lang. Isa rin naman yun sa mga dreams din namin na sana kung merong mga naka-pink, kahit papano i-achieve naman na kalahati next time,” said Laure.
“Pero yung mga ilan naming supporters, natutuwa na kami, kasi sobra nilang fighter. Chine-cherish namin yun at sobrang na-appreciate namin yung pag-cheer nila sa amin, kasi syempre, player kami. ‘Yan yung hahanapin namin na pampagana,” she added.
“Malaking bagay na mga sumusuporta sa amin, tumatawag ng pangalan namin ay walang sawang chini-cheer kami. Siyempre lalaban talaga.”
