PHILIPPINE volleyball's single greatest figure has added yet another chapter to her already seemingly unbelievable legend.
Alyssa Valdez now owns 11 PVL championships, reinforcing her place at the very summit of the sport.
READ: Creamline revives dynasty with finals sweep of Cignal
She may no longer be the same relentless volume scorer who once carried Creamline on her back, but her impact remains unmistakable.
The fire still burns, and whenever Boom Gonzales' so-called 'gut-check time' comes around, it can still impact the match.
Case in point came at championship point in Set 5 of the Cool Smashers' title-clinching win, when Valdez checked in and helped set the tone for Tots Carlos’ game-winning block.
Sequences like that are no highlights, but they define why the ‘Phenom’ remains one of one.
Even as a new wave of stars take center stage, Valdez continues to carve out her space. As long as she is on the floor, there is still nobody quite like her in the biggest moments, even at this stage in her career.
And after having hoisted so many trophies, the motivation has now shifted inward.
“At this point in my career, I want to prove not to other people, but to myself that I'm here because I still want it and I still have it,” she said.
Creamline still goes where Valdez takes it
That same acumen mirrors a Creamline side that continues to evolve, not just after successes, but also through setbacks.
Indeed, this version of this dynastic team is battle-tested in ways past iterations were not.
“‘Yung Creamline ngayon, I would say seasoned talaga kasi throughout the conference, ang daming struggles, as in,” she said.
“Alam mo, honestly, parang bumalik kami sa first-ever time kasi, siyempre, ang hirap din. Tagal naming hindi nakakuha ng championship. ‘Yung gusto lang namin is one, sana makilala namin ‘yung sarili namin. And two, sana ibalik lang namin ‘yung joy sa paglalaro ng volleyball.”
And as for what comes next for the still-face of Philippine volleyball, the answer is simple.
“I just really wanna enjoy playing volleyball,” she said.
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