Bea De Leon made her long-awaited return from injury for Creamline but could only savor one match before the Cool Smashers’ 2025 PVL Reinforced Conference run ended in the quarterfinals.
Bea De Leon’s long-awaited comeback for Creamline finally happened—but it lasted just one game. Unfortunately for De Leon, it came on the same night the Cool Smashers’ 19-conference podium streak came to an end.
Returning from the injury she suffered during the 2024–25 PVL All-Filipino Conference Finals, De Leon checked back into the taraflex in Creamline’s knockout quarterfinal loss to Petro Gazz, 23-25, 19-25, 25-16, 14-25.
And while the result stung, the veteran middle blocker said she was simply thankful to feel like herself again.
“Unfortunately, I only had one game to feel it out. But definitely much better naman,” she said. “I feel a lot better with the grace of God and everybody who helped me through it—my coaches and my PTs. We were on the right track.”
Accepting the defeat
With their 19-conference podium streak officially over, De Leon admitted that the defeat was hard to take for the Cool Smashers.
“Very unfortunate on our end, of course, what happened. Sabi namin kanina, bilog ang bola. Sometimes nasa taas ka, sometimes nasa baba ka. It’s something we have to accept right now,” she said.
“We take a few days and really have to learn a lot from what has happened.”
[ALSO READ: Courtney Schwan bids emotional farewell after Creamline’s PVL Reinforced exit]
Inside the locker room, emotions were heavy—but De Leon said the team was quick to shift toward healing and perspective.
“We really have to shift it right away into something positive,” she said.
“Obviously it’s a loss, and we’re still sad, but at the same time, we have to take it as something positive—that there’s more to come, more to learn, more to improve on.”
Turning heartbreak into fuel
The task now, BDL emphasized, is to carry the team’s values forward even in a down year.
“Why I always admired this team and why I love being here is really the culture that separates them,” she said. “It has been quite a down year for us, but I trust my teammates, especially our seniors, that we’ll pull together.”
[ALSO READ: Sherwin Meneses calls for acceptance, reset as Creamline’s historic PVL podium streak ends]
De Leon vowed that the veteran core will continue to be the standard-bearers for the Creamline identity.
“This is something we’re really gonna do our best to turn into something better for all of us,” she said.
“And from the seniors, we will pass it down to the young ones, to make sure we pass on that culture and the mindset and the character of who Creamline is.”
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Kiko Demigillo’s journey in sports storytelling began with a deep passion for games and athletes, which eventually grew into a full-fledged career.
Now a dedicated sportswriter, Kiko covers a wide range of beats for One Sports, including the PVL, UAAP, PBA, and various international tournaments.