While Creamline’s preparations for the upcoming Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference are still a ways off, head coach Sherwin Meneses offered an early look into how the team might approach selecting an import for its redemption campaign.
After being denied a historic five-peat and their 11th overall PVL crown, the Cool Smashers strengthened their lineup for the 2025 AVC Women’s Champions League.
They brought back American wing spiker Erica Staunton and welcomed new additions in Kazakh middle blocker Anastassiya Kolomoyets and Russian outside hitter Anastasya Kudryashova.
Meneses provided a glimpse of potential options as Creamline gears up to defend its Reinforced Conference title in October. Through three games in the continental tournament, Staunton led the way with 28 points, Kudryashova followed with 23, while Kolomoyets contributed 21.
Currently also serving as head coach of the National University women’s volleyball team, Meneses emphasized his intention to broaden Creamline’s pool of import prospects. Still, he expressed hope that Staunton — a 24-year-old outside hitter from Chicago who helped Creamline capture the league’s first-ever Grand Slam last year — would be available again in October.
(C) PVL Images
“Wala pa sa bokabularyo namin ang pagpili ng import. Ang focus lang namin after nitong AVC is maka-rest talaga ang mga players namin. Medyo matagal pa kasi yung Reinforced, mas marami pang mga choices,” said Meneses after the Cool Smashers’ straight-sets loss to Nakhon Ratchasima in the quarterfinals.
“Sana makakuha kami ng maganda kung available man yung gusto namin, especially Erica. Kung makuha namin si Erica, sana available siya sa October.”
Beyond the search for another import, Meneses also hopes the team’s experience against some of Asia’s best clubs will provide valuable insights for the entire roster.
Despite having the luxury of three foreign reinforcements, Meneses made it a point to give every player from Creamline’s 14-woman AVC roster playing time throughout their three matches in the tournament. This marked the club’s first international stint since finishing sixth in the 2022 AVC Challenge Cup for Women in Manila.
“Yung game kasi di mo masabi kung sino yung nasa loob kasi siyempre yung iba nagpe-perform din ng maganda. Siguro yung mabilisang adjustment din lang. Pero sa tingin ko talagang kinapos kami sa game na ’to. Hopefully, maging lesson din sa amin. Pero happy kami kasi laging may international sa Philippines and tumataas yung level ng mga teams. Sana yung Creamline tumaas pa lalo yung level at makasabay sa international volleyball,” he noted.
“Siyempre masaya kami nakalaro kami sa AVC ulit kahit na ganyan yung resulta. Hopefully, next international tournament makapag-prepare kami ng mas maganda. Pero wala naman excuses, talagang hindi kami nakapunta ng semifinals. Masaya pa rin kami at malaking tulong itong experience na ’to.”
#WATCH: Alyssa Valdez, Jema Galanza, Sherwin Meneses, and Bernadeth Pons share lessons from their #AVCChampionsLeague journey 🏐
📹 @ernesttuazon /Tiebreaker Times#PVL2025 #AVCChampionsLeague pic.twitter.com/dYwO3lUJIl
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) April 24, 2025
