WITH 48 individual accolades and 13 championships in nearly two decades of play, Alyssa Valdez is not only a serial winner but a formidable force and face of Philippine volleyball.
But for the 'Phenom,' such an unrivaled resumé offers no excuse to continue proving herself one day and one game at a time.
READ: Creamline repulses Choco Mucho in 5 sets for third PVL sweep in four years
In Game Two of the 2023 PVL All-Filipino Conference finals, Valdez started the match, sat out Sets 2 and 3, and played sparingly in the fourth set before being fielded back in right before the fifth-set tiebreak.
From there, the Phenom's clutch DNA was unleashed as five of her eight points came in sudden death — two of which were Creamline's last two game-clinching hits to secure the club's seventh league championship.
TRAINING MAKES PERFECT
The remarkable durability at the pinnacle of her career can be attributed to Valdez's ongoing commitment to demonstrating her value with each passing day and her relentless pursuit of surpassing even her own best performances.
"There’s no day na hindi mo i-pprove yung sarili mo sa training. There’s no day na hindi mo gagawin yung best mo para maipakita mo na kaya mo na maging part ng Creamline Cool Smashers and maging part ng ganitong community," Valdez said.
"'Yun 'yung daily motivation namin kaya hindi kami napapagod na pumunta sa training kasi every day, ang dami naming kailangan matutunan pa, ang dami naming kailangan i-correct pa sa sarili namin. I guess that mentality helped us to also win this game kasi alam namin yung strengths and weaknesses namin so nag-complement yun sa isa’t isa and nanalo kami.
"So 'yun 'yung masasabi kong not naman secret, but definitely one thing that helps me to keep motivated even if I’m playing more than probably 20 years na," she added.
ALYSSA AIMS 'BETTER THAN BEST'
Even if some of Creamline's players and coaches came and went through years past, Valdez takes pride on how the Cool Smashers' winning identity remains rock-solid and fortified to this day.
"One thing na masasabi ko ay grabe 'yung growth and maturity ng lahat. Ang dami rin naming pinagdaanan. There was this conference na ako 'yung wala at nandu'n naman sina Jia (De Guzman)," Valdez said.
"Ang ganda rin nu'ng naging setup ng mga nangyari sa amin. And now, even if kung sinuman 'yung ipasok ni Coach (Sherwin Meneses), talagang may identity na. Kilala na nila 'yung sarili nila on how they play and how we play as a team. So I think a very crucial part [of our success] is how we stuck to the system talaga."
Valdez added: "It’s just so nice to be surrounded by this competitive, empowered women, and with our amazing coaches also. I guess that’s the beauty in our team."
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