Bea De Leon clinched her first conference championship for Creamline by delivering the final point for the Cool Smashers in the fifth set of Game 2 against Choco Mucho, 20-25, 25-20, 22-25, 25-22, 15-11.
The 5-foot-11 middle blocker was prepared for her moment as the Flying Titans over-received Alyssa Valdez’s service, and De Leon smartly tipped it back.
Bedlam ensued as the pink-clad fans among the 23,162-strong crowd erupted in joy, while the purple-clad portion felt a piercing pang in their hearts.
It was poetic that De Leon, who had been a former Flying Titan since the team’s inception in 2019 until the entire 2023 season, ended Choco Mucho’s title aspirations.
For the now-Cool Smasher, she was brimming with gratitude for the journey that brought her to Creamline and made her a champion.
Perfectly fitting!
BDL seals the championship point for Creamline against her former team, Choco Mucho! 🏐🏆
🎥 Jonash Dannug/Tiebreaker Times pic.twitter.com/0iwGHBTzKj
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) May 12, 2024
“Sobrang thankful ko lang talaga. Yun lang din talaga yung feeling ko ngayon. Thank you sa lahat, sa teammates ko, kela Coach, kay Lord, God is so good, so wala. It’s really just an abundance of gratefulness in me. I’m just happy to be here,” said De Leon.
Regarding her championship point, it was serendipitous that she was at the net when it happened. However, she credited the entire team’s double effort throughout the game for it.
The Cool Smashers never lost faith, even when the Flying Titans took the first set and moved a set away from forcing a winner-take-all match when they won the third set.
Jema Galanza, Bernadeth Pons, Tots Carlos, Michele Gumabao, among many other heroes, all played their parts as Creamline stormed back for the victory in two hours and 42 minutes.
(C) Joaqui Flores/PVL
“Well, sobrang bonus lang yun na dun kami nakarating ng championship point dahil sa buong team, sobrang bonus nalang yun kasi actually sobrang kabado ako the whole time,” said De Leon.
“So, nakikita ni coach yun. So yun, sobrang wala, yun lang talaga siguro, God’s will na talaga, ibinigay nalang talaga niya sa amin. Bonus lang yun, highlight nalang siya sa championship.”
