Tots Carlos credits teammates’ support as she shines in new role

Tots Carlos (left) leads Creamline-Philippines Cool Smashers in the AVC Cup. –CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Tots Carlos continues to deliver for Creamline even playing in her new position as an outside hitter in her first national team stint in the AVC Cup for Women.

Converted from opposite to open spiker with Michele Gumabao joining the starting six due to due to Alyssa Valdez’s absence, the two-time Premier Volleyball League MVP sustained her lethal attacking form, leading the national team’s impressive tough fight against defending champion China on Tuesday at PhilSports Arena.

But Carlos, who scored 15 points against the much-taller Chinese, deflected the credit to the Cool Smashers’ strong support system.

“I’ve been training opposite for the rest of my volleyball career. But if you have this kind of support system that will always help you no matter what, like Jema (Galanza), ate Jia (De Guzman), and everyone in the team. (You will feel) no pressure at all. It is what it is we just have to deal with it,” said Carlos in Filipino after their 16-25, 22-25, 20-25 loss to China. 

“I won’t be able to do it without the help of my teammates and the guidance of our coaches.  I’m really happy that I can contribute to the team since Ate (Alyssa Valdez) is not with us. They gave me a position that I had to adjust but I’m really grateful because I always feel their support,” she added.

The University of the Philippines standout, who struggled in her first game against Vietnam with nine points, is honored to don the national team jersey for the first time, making the most of her opportunity to learn on the international stage.

“I’m super happy because I’ve been really wanting to play against the best players in the world. It’s still about the learning experience for me,” she said.

The Philippines may have suffered its second straight loss in Pool A, but Carlos was proud of how they went up against a five-time champion team.

“This is a really big team and playing well against them, I think that’s a big milestone for the team. We have a lot of challenges, we lacked players, so we need more experience and everything. We’re really happy that we played well. You can really see that every time we dig the ball and we spike, we’re really happy, we’re smiling,” Carlos said.

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“I think we did pretty well and I’m happy that you can see everyone smiling even the crowd. I hope we made everyone proud today for representing the country,” she added.

Now Creamline needs to win at least one of its last two group stage matches against Iran on Wednesday and South Korea on Thursday to reach the quarterfinals.

With the confidence they got from the strong opponents and the strong bond they formed, Carlos is optimistic that the Cool Smashers will continue to give better results for the remainder of the AVC Cup.

“In terms of confidence, I think the team can really fight. We’re all about the mantra of our team: Good vibes. And as ate MG (Michele Gumabao) said, our family-like teamwork brought us here. We’re family and we know that we support one another,” she said.