Creamline went through the Premier Volleyball League Second All-Filipino Conference wars without two of their top guns, but still managed to defend its crown against a motivated Choco Mucho squad in a two-game finals series.
And they could not have done it without the help of a few unlikely heroes, who stepped up to the challenge and filled in the gaping hole left by stars Jia De Guzman (Denso Airybees) and Ced Domingo (Nakhon Ratchasima), who flew out of the country to chase their overseas dreams.
On Sunday night, Jema Galanza paid tribute to these players, expressing gratitude to Kyle Negrito, Jeanette Panaga, Risa Sato, and the rest of the Cool Smashers who answered the call and helped the team clinch their seventh title in the country’s only women’s professional volleyball league.
“Gusto ko lang sabihin kay Kyle [Negrito] and kay Pangs [Panaga], kay [Risa] Sato, actually sa lahat talaga ng nag-step up na ang hirap ng trabaho na ginagawa nila and yung pressure na dinadala nila,” said Galanza following Creamline’s title-clinching win over Choco Mucho in Game 2 last Saturday.
“Pero eto dinala rin nila kami sa goal na gusto namin (na championship),” added the former league MVP.
In the absence of De Guzman, Negrito was handed the keys to the Cool Smashers’ offense and passed her first conference as the lead setter with flying colors while Risa Sato stepped in for Domingo and provided the team the much-needed energy throughout the conference.
Panaga, who has been starting for Creamline ever since she joined the team in 2021, took her game up a notch which resulted in her fifth Best Middle Blocker award in the PVL.
“Ayun, sana madami pang championship na magkakasama tayo walang iwanan and mag-grow pa (tayo) and sa lahat din ng nilaro namin this season marami kaming matutunan and syempre mas mag-grow pa kami,” said Galanza.
