FOR a player who has seen and been through it all, Alyssa Valdez knows exactly when to take over.
With Creamline’s campaign hanging in the balance, the ‘Phenom’ unloaded 20 points and 19 digs in a win-or-go-home play-in clash against Akari to reach a record-extending 20th PVL semifinals appearance.
READ: Creamline back in PVL semis after beating Akari in sudden death
For a dynasty built on sustained excellence, the path isn’t always smooth. And for Valdez, that’s exactly how it should be.
“Halos every game kasi, do-or-die na ata kaya I have to give my all talaga,” she said.
“There's nothing to lose na eh, basta ibigay mo lahat, wala kang ititira, may reward ‘yun. Kung anuman ‘yung reward na ‘yun, sa dulo mo pa malalaman.”
Even with a championship pedigree second to none, the Cool Smashers still welcome these pressure-packed contests, more so for this current group that has only recently returned to full strength.
“Nakaka-miss din ‘yung feeling ng do-or-die games kasi it's really a privilege to be at this point, most especially for our team na kahit medyo veteran team na kami, we still need it,” Valdez said.
“Ngayon na lang ulit kami nakumpleto, so this is a character-building experience for us to get to know more about ourselves, most especially ‘yung growth namin na ok naman individually, but as a team, kailangan namin ito for our growth.”
Consistency, not perfection
At 32, Valdez isn’t chasing flawless games day in and day out.
“Kahit veterans na kami, kahit medyo matagal na kami naroon, may point din talaga na siguro, magkakamali't magkakamali ka, but it's really kung paano ka babangon,” she said.
“Sabi nga nila, kailangan mas mabilis kang maka-move on sa volleyball.”
From then 'til now, it’s all about stacking solid outings when it counts.
“Honestly, I really take it one game at a time. Hindi naman all the time, sobrang ganda talaga ‘yung game,” Valdez said.
“Ngayon, ‘yung katawan ko parang mas kontrolado, even my knee. After one game naman, another game, iba na namang story kaya I would say, I'm just very happy na lahat kami healthy. I'm also healthy. And hopefully, tuloy-tuloy yung maging healthy kaming lahat.”
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