Bernadeth Pons punctuated her return to Creamline with a fairytale finish, completing a hard-fought title run in the 2026 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference.
Pons spearheaded the Cool Smashers’ climb back to the summit, delivering a monster triple-double of 22 points, 25 excellent digs, and 15 excellent receptions as they outlasted the Cignal Super Spikers, 25-23, 22-25, 25-16, 16-25, 15-11, in Game 2 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The 29-year-old outside hitter averaged 16.5 points, 20.0 excellent digs, and 10.0 excellent receptions across the two games of the championship series, earning a well-deserved Finals MVP honor — her second in her PVL career.
Pons, however, was quick to shift the spotlight to her teammates. She credited their support for making her transition from beach volleyball back to indoor play seamless.
“Sobrang grateful ko lang din talaga sa teammates ko na meron ako sa Creamline. Kung hindi naman dahil sa kanila, hindi ko rin talaga malalabas kung ano talaga ‘yung laro ko,” said the pride of Talisay, Negros Occidental.
It was a fitting culmination for Pons, who came off a historic gold-medal finish in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games last December before rejoining Creamline in January for the all-local tilt.
The former Far Eastern University standout has been the Cool Smashers’ most consistent force this season-ending conference, ranking ninth in the league in scoring with 163 points and 10th in aces with 0.22 per set.
She added that the team’s chemistry and constant push for improvement were key in finally achieving a championship she had long envisioned.
“Iba rin kasi ‘yung environment ng team. Kumbaga, lahat kasi talaga ipu-push ka paangat. Challenge din talaga every day sa training and sobrang grateful ako sa bawat isa na pinu-push din talaga namin ‘yung bawat isa na mag-excel,” said Pons.
“And ‘yun, sobrang grateful kasi nga minanifest ko ‘to eh, bago mag-start ‘yung conference na makuha namin ‘yung goal. Finally, nakuha namin kahit ang daming challenges and struggles na napagdaanan ng team.”
The triumph became even more meaningful given the adversity Creamline faced throughout the conference — dropping into the play-in round, nearly missing the semifinals, and then securing a crucial win over Farm Fresh to clinch a Finals spot.
“Siyempre, sobrang saya. Iba ‘yung saya ng conference ngayon kasi sabi nga namin, hindi talaga madali,” said Pons, who missed two games at the end of the preliminaries due to injury.
“Ang daming struggles, ang daming challenges sa team, pero na-survive namin ‘yun lahat and sobrang worth it lahat ng effort and sacrifices namin. Simula nung January 2 pa lang nag-training na kami, so ayun. Sobrang saya kasi wala kaming training bukas.”
