ILAGAN, ISABELA— Creamline's opening-day victory in the PVL on Tour came with a surprising sight: four of the franchise's biggest stars never saw the floor.
The reigning All-Filipino Conference champions still had more than enough in the tank to turn back a revamped Nxled side in four sets on Wednesday at the Capital Arena here despite all of Alyssa Valdez, Tots Carlos, Bea de Leon, and Pangs Panaga in street clothes rather than in action.
READ: Creamline flaunts youth to open 'PVL on Tour' with win over Nxled
Instead of fully leaning on its tried-and-tested core, the Cool Smashers took full advantage of the preseason's experimental nature.
With the league requiring all 14 active players to log minutes in every match of this preseason tournament, Creamline spread the wealth, allowing seldom-used players such as Lorie Bernardo and Nica Celis to crack the starting lineup, while several younger teammates also took on expanded roles.
The move hardly slowed the Cool Smashers down, as their depth once again carried the load against the Chameleons who were boasting of fresh championship additions of their own.
Will Alyssa & Co. still play?
Fans hoping to catch the decorated quartet need not wait long, though.
Head coach Sherwin Meneses revealed Creamline plans to maximize its 21-player pool throughout the caravan.
"For sure, makakalaro sila sa second game o third game. Siyempre, para sa fans naman ‘yung ‘On Tour.’ Pipilitin talaga naming makapag-perform nang maganda kasama sila," he said.
The approach allows the Cool Smashers to strike a balance between preserving their veterans, evaluating combinations, and givins fans across the country a chance to watch the club's biggest names.
Nonetheless, the encouraging showings from their fresh faces is a much-welcome development.
RookieBarbie Jamili, ex-Cignal duo Ishie Lalongisip and Erin Pangilinan, and once-Petro Gazz setter Donnalyn Paralejas all showed flashes of why Creamline invested in building its next generation even while remaining firmly in championship contention.
Meneses, however, believes the real challenge begins now, as the youngsters embrace the standards that have defined the league's most successful franchise.
"Naging competitive pa sila nu’ng napunta sila sa Creamline. Nasa Creamline na sila, iba ‘yung kultura dito. Masisipag ‘yung mga bata. Masaya kami na sila ‘yung napunta sa Creamline," he said.
"Kailangan talaga nilang magtrabaho and mag-enjoy sila kasama ‘yung Creamline. ‘Yun naman ‘yung maganda sa mga bata, talagang malakas din ‘yung loob. Sumusunod sila. Hopefully, magtuluy-tuloy ‘yung performance nila na maganda."
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