Can anyone beat the Creamline Cool Smashers?
It's a puzzle no team could unlock in the 2023 PVL Second All-Filipino Conference.
Missing your star setter? Kyle Negrito can handle it just fine when she has a luxury of spikers to choose from. Finals MVP middle blocker flying to Thailand? There's plenty of MBs on the bench raring to showcase what they've got.
During the offseason, that puzzle just got more difficult with the entry of veteran middle blocker Bea de Leon and libero Dennise Lazaro-Revilla.
And juuust to make things even more interesting, Creamline also signed up another beach volleyball star in Dij Rodriguez.
The offense has been a tour de force for Creamline. Now, their defense leveled up too.
Coach: Sherwin Meneses
Departures: Ced Domingo
Acquisitions: Bea de Leon, Dennise Lazaro-Revilla, Dij Rodriguez
AFC lineup
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Outside hitters: Tots Carlos, Jema Galanza, Bernadeth Pons, Dij Rodriguez, Alyssa Valdez, Rosemarie Vargas
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Opposite spikers: Michele Gumabao, Rizza Mandapat
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Middle blockers: Lorie Bernardo, Bea de Leon, Pangs Panaga, Risa Sato, Pau Soriano
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Setters: Bea Bonafe, Mafe Galanza, Kyle Negrito
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Liberos: Kyla Atienza, Ella de Jesus, Dennise Lazaro-Revilla
Previous AFC record: Champion (11-0 in preliminaries)
When it comes to team offense, no one can match Creamline.
Michele Gumabao and Jema Galanza are the squad's top scorers during the previous preliminaries, tied at 11th place with 136 points each.
Don't let that lull you into a sense of complacency, even though other players are scoring much higher.
When it comes to the spiking department, Tots Carlos is at the top with a 40.14% success rate, even though she came off the bench during the preliminaries.
She was eventually hailed Finals MVP.
Meanwhile, MG placed second in the spiking department and was hailed Best Opposite Spiker.
Creamline also killed at the service line, with three players in the top 10. Negrito ranks fourth, Jema Galanza is sixth, while Pangs Panaga is ninth.
Negrito also figures as the second best setter of the previous preliminaries.
Meanwhile, Galanza was everywhere as the sixth best receiver with a 36.27% efficiency and figured sa the ninth best digger.
She was awarded as the 2nd Best Outside Spiker.
As a team, Creamline was number one in spiking with a 34.89% success rate. They also led the league in setting.
The Cool Smashers also ranked third in reception with a 34.12% efficiency.
Oh captain, my captain
Alyssa Valdez definitely felt the UAAP memories coming back with Bea de Leon and Denden Lazaro-Revilla on the same side of the court.
"When I heard her voice, super familiar and comfortable kami," Valdez shared of their latest libero. "One thing sa team, whenever nabubuhay 'yung bola kahit anong hirap, talagang nagre-react kami. When Den came in, nangyari na 'yun. Yung reaction namin, 'Wooaahh.' 'Yun 'yung isa sa nakakamiss talaga."
"It's funny, I missed Bea's reaction maybe magkaka-point siya or magkaka-error, it's very genuine," Valdez said of BDL. "Namomotivate kami dahil sa ganung reaction, at siguro para asarin siya."
Creamline went undefeated in the last conference, but Valdez admitted it was really a struggle getting used to the changes--such as missing Jia de Guzman and Ced Domingo, plus having new setters in Bea Bonafe and Mafe Galanza.
"It wasn't easy. A lot of people doubted us. Even us, nag-doubt din kami if we were gonna be able to reach the finals. Not even the finals, the semis... But we're very, very lucky with our coaches, the adjustments were so fast," Valdez noted.
"If we were able to describe that conference, it would be teamwork talaga... If we were able to improve something, madaming lapses but we'd definitely bring that chemistry, teamwork, and tiwala sa isa't isa."
Coach's corner
Coach Sherwin Meneses said when BDL and Denden were available for a transfer, he didn't let the opportunity pass. It was easier, since they came from sister team Choco Mucho.
"Malaking impact din si Bea sa team namin for attacking. Siguro isang point din na makakatulong siya sa defense this conference," Meneses said of BDL.
As for Denden, Meneses said he relished the luxury of having three liberos.
"Talagang mame-maintain namin yung intensity sa training," he told One Sports, as he honed in on defense.
It was also a factor that the two recruits were college teammates with Valdez and Ella de Jesus, so they don't have to spend as much time on building chemistry.
And then Creamline added beach volleyball star Dij Rodriguez, a player very familiar to Bernadeth Pons.
"Malaking addition din sa amin kasi medyo veteran na rin, mataas ang nilalaro sa beach volleyball, nakapaglaro sa international [tournaments]. Hopefully maka-adapt sa indoor volleyball sa PVL," coach Sherwin Meneses said of the SEA Games bronze medalist and Beach Pro Tour World Tour Futures Philippine leg silver medalist.
[ALSO READ: PVL: Creamline officially welcomes beach volleyball star Dij Rodriguez to Cool Smashers]
Are they pressured to remain undefeated in this conference?
"May pressure naman palagi sa Creamline. 'Yung players, sanay sa pressure games," he said. "Pangkaraniwan na sa amin. Inaabsorb namin 'yung pressure, tine-take namin as a challenge."
What they said
It was way, way back when Bea de Leon manifested that she would be able to play someday with Michele Gumabao inside the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
That dream is about to become a reality as part of Creamline.
BDL, who finally got a silver medal with Choco Mucho, chose to leave her longtime team.
“Knowing myself, I felt that it’s a better fit and also in terms of the system. I also want to be back in a place where I can really just think of myself first,” de Leon said to One Sports after training.
“Nothing shady," she made sure to note, "Just that I knew that I needed so much work to do and I felt that I’m gonna be able to catch up on that here.”
She liked how competitive they were, even in training.
“Everyone is helping you out. I’m surrounded by veterans, I’m not the one that’s having to carry that load. Not to say that Choco Mucho wasn’t like that but I just like receiving it now again because I feel like I need to grow again.”
[ALSO READ: PVL | Bea De Leon bares heart in move to Creamline: ‘I feel like I need to grow again’]
It was the same mindset for Lazaro-Revilla.
"I really wanted to get out of my comfort zone, which was Choco Mucho for the past three years," she said. "Really happy that they welcomed me here."
"There are times na nafi-feel ko na stagnant na ko. And it's not because of the system of coach Dante (Alinsunurin)," she made sure to emphasize, as Alinsunurin led the squad to a silver medal, their best finish in the PVL.
"I have high praise for coach Dante's system. I'm looking for something different, and a different environment from what I was used to," Lazaro-Revilla added.
[ALSO READ: PVL | Denden Lazaro-Revilla feels good vibes with Creamline: 'Ang gaan lang sa loob']
Meanwhile, Best Outside Spiker Jema Galanza admitted she struggled with all the changes at the start of the previous conference.
"'Di ko ine-expect 'yung performance ko last conference. Parang nagsa-struggle din talaga. 'Di ko nafi-feel sarili ko sa game, kumakapa pa," she admitted. "Nagpapasalamat lang din ako na hanggang dulo, naging consistent at nagbigay pa ko ng pwede ko mabigay."
All it took was a constant reminder, just follow the system.
It worked, as everyone managed to get their playing time in their undefeated run.
Yes, they were still committing errors, but Jema says it's a risk worth taking.
"Kung mag-serve ka, i-serve mo na ng malakas, kasi maraming posibleng mangyari. I think 'yun 'yung nangyayari," she explained.
Despite the championship and the awards, Jema isn't done improving on herself.
"Ako personally, tinatanong ko sarili ko, ano pa ba kayang iimprove? Ang tagal na naming magkakasama, ano pa ba kaya nating gawin?"
First bout
The Creamline Cool Smashers will start their title defense against the Farm Fresh Foxies on February 24, Saturday, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
So yes, Bea de Leon will finally be able to take that Araneta picture with Michele Gumabao.
The 6 p.m. match will air on One Sports, One Sports+, and the Pilipinas Live app.
(With reports from Jamie Velasco, Lei Macaranas)