HOW the mighty have fallen.
Just over a year ago, Creamline stood at the peak of its unparalleled seven-year reign, becoming Philippine volleyball’s first-ever Grand Slam champion.
At that point, it felt as though nothing and no one could touch a Cool Smashers dynasty that had rewritten the sport’s standards.
But a year later, the storms finally caught up.
For Creamline, 2025 became a year of many firsts — none of them good.
READ: Petro Gazz ends Creamline streak of 19 straight semis appearances
It marked the first full calendar year since their 2017 debut that the Cool Smashers failed to win a PVL crown.
An All-Filipino silver and a pair of bronze finishes in the PVL on Tour and Invitational briefly kept hope alive, but the signs of an uncharacteristic season were already there.
Then came the ending they would rather erase.
Their eight-year, 19-tournament semifinals and podium streak, one of the most dominant runs in Philippine volleyball history, crumbled right before their eyes, dealt by none other than longtime rival Petro Gazz.
Yet as Creamline head coach Sherwin Meneses reminded, even dynasties are not immune to collapse.
“Lahat naman ng record, nabe-break eh. Siguro ‘yung time na ‘yun sa’min is ngayon,” Meneses said.
“Pinaka-importante naman is acceptance ng pagkatalo. Talagang deserve ng Petro Gazz kasi sobra ‘yung nilaro nila lalo na nung nawalan sila ng import. Champion-caliber talaga ‘yung team nila.”
Acceptance became the theme of Meneses’ postmortem. The usually soft-spoken mentor conceded that the path forward remains unclear as Creamline enters completely unfamiliar territory.
“Ang reality is hindi namin alam kasi sabi ko nga, ito ‘yung first time ma-experience ng Creamline na hindi maka-pasok sa semifinals,” he admitted.
“Depende na lang doon sa attitude tsaka tibay ng players kung paano namin ‘to tatanggapin. Pero marami pa namang time para makabawi.”
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