CREAMLINE added more feathers to its already-heavy cap after copping the Team of the Year and Coach of the Year honors to be given in the first-ever Pilipinas Live PVL Press Corps Awards Night on May 28 at the Novotel Manila Araneta City in Quezon City.
Displaying excellence in amassing 176 wins in 216 all-time league matches, the Cool Smashers built and upheld a winning culture over the last eight years.
READ: Coach Sherwin pays no mind to doubters after title run with NU
Creamline highlighted its dominance by becoming the PVL’s first Grand Slam champion after sweeping all three conferences of the 2024 PVL season.
The 10-time PVL champions earned the special nod in the inaugural awards night presented by Arena Plus after garnering 13.6 points in the poll, 10.8 of which came from the media and 2.8 from teams.
Petro Gazz came in second with 9.4 votes from 3.0 media votes and 6.4 team votes after foiling the Cool Smashers' All-Filipino Conference five-peat bid last April.
Doubt clouded Creamline’s Grand Slam bid with the star trio of Alyssa Valdez and Tots Carlos, coming off injuries, and Jema Galanza, unavailable for most of the season due to national team duties, taking the backseat.
In their absence, an unlikely hero in 24-year-old American import and pro league debutant Erica Staunton took over alongside a new MVP trio in Bernadeth Pons, Michele Gumabao, and Kyle Negrito to complete the championship treble.
The Cool Smashers’ dominant year was also highlighted by their 19-game win streak, which spanned from the 2024 Reinforced Conference to the tail-end of the 2024-25 AFC, marking the second-longest unbeaten run in league history.
Creamline, however, did have its fair share of struggles and suffered a stinging championship loss to the Angels in three games, ending their hopes of extending their all-local reign.
But when push came to shove, its eight years of unmatched chemistry as a battle-tested family still stood firm even in rare times of defeat.
Meneses is PVL PC Coach of the Year
As such, grizzled tactician Sherwin Meneses, architect of the Cool Smashers’ blazing run, will also be honored as the league’s Coach of the Year.
The 42-year-old mentor did what only four other coaches in all of Philippine sports have done in half a century — win a Grand Slam.
Meneses won the top coaching plum with 11 points built from 7.8 media votes and 3.2 team votes.
Petro Gazz’s champion shot-caller Japanese Koji Tsuzurabara ranked second with 9.6 points on an even split of 4.8 media votes and 4.8 team votes.
His compatriot Taka Minowa of Akari received 2.4 points, also split into 1.2 media votes and 1.2 team votes, to finish third in the vote.
Under his steady leadership, the Cool Smashers continue to thrive on a selfless, winning culture — no egos, just their signature ‘good vibes’ on display.
Meneses overcame the challenge of extending Creamline’s title reign without its biggest stars to win the Grand Slam and his seventh PVL title at the helm.
He also cemented his stature as the league’s most decorated head coach in just three years by becoming its first centurion, reaching the 100-win mark in a straight-sets victory over Chery Tiggo in Game 1 of the recent AFC quarterfinals.
Sporting a 104-18 win-loss record with a win rate of 85.25 percent, Meneses’ feat stands second to none among the 45 coaches to have ever called the shots in the country’s first and only women’s professional volleyball league.
Ng is PVL PC Executive of the Year
Jonathan Ng, the Vice Chairman and CEO of the Republic Biscuit Corporation (Rebisco) Group of Food Companies, will also be recognized as the Executive of the Year.
Ng made the Rebisco brand not just a snack icon in the local market, but also a name synonymous with a winning culture in volleyball.
As one of the country’s most successful tycoons, Ng has used his business expertise to build one of the most decorated sports franchises over the last eight years, helping pioneer the PVL's breakthrough grand slam winner last year with the Creamline Cool Smashers.
Ng bagged the recognition in the special award rites presented by Arena Plus by earning 12.8 points coming from 9.6 media votes and 3.2 team votes, cast by head coaches and captains from the 12 participating squads.
Petro Gazz owner Ricky Villavicencio, who saw the Angels’ rise to their first-ever All-Filipino Conference title last April, placed second with 5.8 total points while Akari’s Christopher Tiu, whose Chargers entered the podium with a runner-up finish in the Reinforced and bronze medal in the AFC, had 4.4 total votes.
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