Sparingly used in the last three PVL conferences, Creamline rookie Aleiah Torres didn’t let that dampen her spirits — especially when the opportunity to represent the Philippines in the 2025 AVC Women’s Champions League came calling.
The Fil-Canadian libero, selected last in the first round of the inaugural PVL Rookie Draft, saw limited playing time in the 2024 Reinforced, Invitational, and recently concluded All-Filipino Conferences. This was largely due to Creamline’s reliable libero tandem of Denden Lazaro-Revilla and Kyla Atienza.
But when Lazaro-Revilla was left out of the Cool Smashers’ final 14-player roster for the continental tournament, Torres embraced the opportunity — and the challenge — with open arms.
“It’s an honor to be able to represent the Philippines and also be able to connect to my roots and my culture. I’m just happy to be able to have this opportunity,” said the 23-year-old defensive specialist.
(C) PVL Images
Now sharing libero duties with Atienza, Torres stepped up in Creamline’s 29-27, 25-20, 25-19 victory over Jordan’s Al Naser on Sunday afternoon at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
Despite limited court time, Torres delivered a solid performance, notching 10 excellent digs to help anchor the Cool Smashers’ defense. She also provided a spark as the 10-time PVL champions edged closer to a quarterfinal berth against some of Asia’s best club teams.
“Definitely happy to have this opportunity, you know, every practice I’ve just been trying to work hard to make the ates better and make practices competitive for them so I’m just really grateful and happy that I’m able to be on the court this time for the AVC,” said the Brock University alumna.
Filling the shoes of a decorated libero like Lazaro, all while carrying the weight of representing one of the Philippines’ three squads in the tournament, is no small feat. But Torres remains grounded as she continues her journey toward becoming a regular fixture in head coach Sherwin Meneses’ rotation — one game at a time.
“I am just trying to do my best, taking it game by game and point by point. I am super happy and grateful for the challenge,” she added.
Torres and the Cool Smashers look to complete a sweep of Pool A when they face Kazakhstan’s nine-time national champion Zhetysu VC tomorrow at 7:00 PM, still at the Philsports Arena.
#WATCH: Aleiah Torres proudly represents not just Creamline, but the entire country in the #AVCChallengeCup 🏐
📹 @ernesttuazon /Tiebreaker Times#PVL2025 pic.twitter.com/pBBb06774W
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) April 20, 2025
