Doubts crept in for Creamline before the 2023 Premier Volleyball League Second All-Filipino Conference.
This as eight-time PVL Best Setter Jia De Guzman pursued being an import in Japan, inking a deal with V.League Division 1 team Denso Airybees.
Then days after the opening week of the league, it was 2022 Invitational Conference Finals MVP middle blocker Ced Domingo’s turn to go abroad. She had signed with Nakhon Ratchasima in Thailand.
Fast forward to December 5, those doubts were quashed.
Creamline swept the elimination round with a pristine 11-0 record heading into the best-of-three semifinals, where it matched up with Chery Tiggo.
On Saturday evening, even with bench players stepping up to starting roles this conference, the Cool Smashers completed their sweep of the Crossovers.
Thanks to that, they advance to their sixth straight AFC finals appearance.
“Speechless kasi we’ve been through a lot without ate Jia and Celine – siyempre key players,” said Tots Carlos after their straight sets win against Chery Tiggo, assuring Creamline its 13th straight podium finish.
“We’re really happy we’re here. Yung collective effort ng team, maganda yung kinalabasan, and also we’re just happy na si Kyle nag-step up din sa game and she knows what to do,” she added, referring to Kyle Negrito, who is filling the hole left by De Guzman.
Carlos, a three-time PVL MVP, then revealed the secret to the Cool Smashers’ success despite needing to adjust after the moves of De Guzman and Domingo.
The system and familiarity made Creamline a regular team in the championship round.
“Honestly, yung team kasi iba yung mindset, and system ni Coach Sherwin sobrang pasok sa aming lahat na paulit-ulit niyang sinasabi na sistema yung ginagamit. Totoo naman kasi minamaster lang namin yung sistema ni Coach Sherwin,” said the 5-foot-9 wing spiker out of Pampanga.
“Expectations, honestly, before the season started excited ako eh kasi makakapag-explore pa kami and makikita pa namin kung hanggang saan yung kaya namin,” she continued.
Negrito shone in a starter role, emerging as the second-best setter statistically-wise after the elimination round with an average of 4.88 excellent sets per frame.
Although still unbeaten after 13 games and the volleyball gods smiling on them, the Cool Smashers will not take their foot off the pedal.
Carlos knows that records have no significance anymore as the Finals will be another best-of-three series.
They will now wait for the winner between Choco Mucho and Cignal as their series reaches the limit.
Game 3 will be on Tuesday.
“Masaya lang kami kasi pasok na kami sa finals but yun nga. Syempre di pa yun nagtatapos one game at a time, one point at a time balik kami sa training bukas,” said the University of the Philippines product.
“Lahat pantay pantay na back to zero, so every point, we have to work hard for it. Siyempre simula pa lang sa training, sa mindset.”
She added, “Nakakatuwa na never na-complacent yung team ,and alam namin yung mga trabaho namin and… Yun nga, natutuwa kami na lahat ng tinatrabaho namin maganda yung kinakalabasan.”
