A rare hush enveloped the Creamline dugout, with everyone visibly taken aback by the straight-sets defeat to Chery Tiggo. No one seemed inclined towards idle chatter.
It had been a while since Creamline had experienced such a setback. Petro Gazz had been the last team to defeat the Cool Smashers back in 2019.
PVL's longest streak ends
The 19-game winning streak had stood as the longest in the history of the Premier Volleyball League.
“It’s about time to feel that way again,” said team captain Alyssa Valdez moments after the loss on Saturday.
“Siyempre, first time din ulit namin after a long while na hindi rin namin nakuha ‘yung panalo. So, medyo, talagang madaming pinagisipan, saan nagkamali”, said Valdez who chipped in five points.
Valdez sees the bright side
Valdez, however, chose to see the glass as half full despite the loss.
“I think maganda rin ‘to at least kahit papaano early in the season, and I would say dami rin naming natutunan kahit gano’n so we’re really gonna go back and practice. I guess ‘yun na ‘yung magagawa namin. We have to focus on what to improve and going back to the conference,” she said.
The Phenom sees the loss as a wake-up call for the team, a reminder not to be complacent.
“We can’t just settle as Creamline. So, we gotta keep up and be more in this conference,” she said.
There were shortcomings, coach Sherwin Meneses conceded.
“Number one diyan ‘yung training. Kailangan ‘di mo masyado i-stress ‘yung sarili mo [...] Pero sabi ko naman ‘wag masyado malungkot eh. Som babawi na lang. Isang talo lang naman.”
The Cool Smashers will try to regroup and prepare against Capital1 on March 21 at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
