Perfection may not be necessary, but Creamline captain Alyssa Valdez emphasizes the importance of patience in the pursuit of victories and championships.
With eight wins in ten matches, the seven-time Premier Volleyball League (PVL) champions are evidently on a strong trajectory heading into the elimination round finale.
Yet, their journey to this point hasn't been devoid of challenges. Notable setbacks, such as the defeat to Chery Tiggo ending their 19-game win streak and a heart-wrenching five-set loss to Petro Gazz , both occurring during the league's out-of-town trips in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, have served as significant hurdles along the way.
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In a closely contested competition where five teams remain in contention for the top four spots with only one week of preliminary action remaining, Creamline's 8-2 win-loss record is not guaranteed safety from potential elimination on the final day. Choco Mucho also stands at 8-2, while Petro Gazz, PLDT, and Chery Tiggo are all tied at 7-2, intensifying the battle for playoff positions.
That being said, in the 2024 PVL All-Filipino Conference, Creamline's journey has been far from flawless. Prioritizing consistency over perfection will be crucial for sustaining the pursuit of their eighth championship and securing a historic All-Filipino three-peat.
“We talk about patience all the time in our team. We talk about not being pressured to be perfect all the time. 'Yun ‘yung battlecry talaga namin. And I guess, iba rin talaga 'yung motivation na kapag nandu’n ka sa point or ng stage ng conference namin na may kailangan kaming kuhanin,” said Valdez.
“Nagkakaroon talaga kami ng konting motivation and konting push na hindi namin bibitawan 'yung chance na meron pa kami kasi sabi nga ni Coach Sherwin (Meneses), nasa kamay namin 'yung chance kung makakapasok ba kami sa second round so ‘yun lang ‘yung lagi naming inaalala,” she added.
Picking up an all-important win over sister team Choco Mucho, one which could’ve placed their semifinals bid in peril with a loss, has been nothing short of a confidence-boosting turning point for Creamline before its decisive prelims finale versus semis-seeking PLDT — a possible knockout match to determine which team will round out the top four.
“(Winning over Choco Mucho is) definitely (a confidence boost) because they’ve been playing their best conference and season yet. Aside from the boost sa morale rin namin getting that win against Choco Mucho, I think it’s more of, sabi nga namin, is we’re really trying to find our way back most especially na nagsa-struggle kami during the first part of this conference.
“Malaking tulong ‘tong game namin sa Choco Mucho para ma-settle down kami ng konti and to really bring back the fire and the hunger to win and to play better,” Valdez said.
Trust the process
With a rather bumpy road that has been for Creamline in the preliminaries, such a pivotal win was imperative in their pursuit of ‘finding our way back’ to championship-caliber consistency.
But after picking up one win, or any other win for that matter, Valdez reiterated that a team is only as good as its last game and with each new day comes new challenges aimed at reaping the fruits of their labor — one day, game and win at a time.
“We’re very, very glad that slowly, our training has been really showing in the games. We’re really happy na lumalabas. Sabi nga ni Coach (Sherwin Meneses), this win we’ll take it today, tomorrow is another day. The job is not done yet.
“It’s going to be a long eliminations pa kahit one game na lang natitira sa amin (versus PLDT), hindi magiging madali,” the Creamline captain said.
Humble as ever, Valdez gave due credit to the rest of the Cool Smashers and their coaching staff for the gradual strides they’ve been making as the conference’s home stretch draws near.
“I’m very proud of the girls and the coaching staff. I have to commend the coaching staff na they’re very patient na ituro sa amin at i-remind sa amin kung ano ‘yung kailangan namin gawin. Sana nagagawa namin ‘yun. The coaches talaga, thank you coaches,” Valdez said.
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