Nica Celis may not always be in the spotlight, but her veteran teammates at Creamline have taken notice of her tireless work ethic and dedication during the 2025 Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference.
Despite seeing limited action in her first official stint with the Cool Smashers, Celis has consistently put in the hard work during training — a commitment that caught the eye of American import Courtney Schwan.
Schwan praised Celis’ focus and relentless effort during practice sessions.
“Every day in practice, she’s extremely focused on improving and very diligent,” said Schwan, who made it a point to commend Celis after Creamline’s win over Chery Tiggo EV on Tuesday.
“You can see that she’s concentrating on the areas she needs to work on. I’m really happy for her that she had such a strong performance after all the hard work she’s put in,” she added.
The University of the Philippines product seized her moment against the Crossovers, finishing with five points in just two sets in the 23-25, 25-23, 25-23, 25-17 victory at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
Celis replaced Michelle Gamit in the starting lineup in the third set and went on to finish the match. Beyond the numbers, her energy and timing on both offense and defense gave Creamline a crucial boost in the must-win encounter.
(C) PVL Images
For her part, the 24-year-old middle blocker said she felt a huge sense of relief and pride after contributing to the victory.
“Ang gaan sa feeling na nakatulong ako sa team kasi I’ve been trying to find ways kung paano ako makatulong. And of course, sobrang grateful ako sa guidance ng mga Ates, sa lahat ng teammates sa loob ng court, and siyempre grateful ako sa tiwala na binigay ni coach,” said Celis.
“Honestly, I don’t know pero ang gaan sa feeling. I didn’t expect any of this. For me, trabaho lang talaga. I just have to focus on performing. Magaan sa pakiramdam,” she added.
Celis is fully aware of the expectations that come with playing for the winningest club in the league, and she remains far from satisfied with her current performance.
“Honestly, hindi ko masyadong naisip ‘yun kasi parang for me, I have to work,” she said.
“I know kung gaano ka-big ‘yung team na napasukan ko, I know the work that I have to put, I know I still have to keep working. So ‘yun lang pa rin mentality ko ngayon na I can’t be too happy with how I’m performing, kasi I know I have to do more.”
