Creamline’s Michele Gumabao is PVL Invitationals MVP

Creamline Cool Smashers’ Michele Gumabao is the PVL Invitational MVP. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — Creamline Cool Smashers’ Michele Gumabao won her first ever PVL MVP award after emerging as the top player of the 2024 Invitational Conference.

Gumabao on Thursday became the latest Cool Smasher to win the MVP trophy, joining three-time winners Alyssa Valdez and Tots Carlos, 2019 Open Conference MVP Jema Galanza, and last week’s Reinforced top player Bernadeth Pons.

The Cool Smashers also completed a Grand Slam after withstanding Cignal in five sets in the Invitationals final, just a week after claiming the Reinforced crown.

“Pinakaimportante talaga yung championshiop kasi yun talaga ang pinaghirapan namin as a team, everything else talagang bonus na lang talaga para sa amin,” said Gumabao. “Kasi sa Creamline, one team, one family kami and yung goal naman namin is not individual kung hindi ang manalo kami as a team.”

LIVE UPDATES: PVL Invitationals Final–Creamline vs Cignal

Gumabao stepped up for Creamline which was lacking its key stars, being the top local scorer  and fifth in the league with 59 points off 52 kills. She is also No.2 in spiking with a 37.96% success rate and fourth in serving with 0.29 aces per set with four aces.

At age 32, Gumabao earned her biggest individual award and kept the Cool Smashers with the most MVPs produced with five.

Her teammate, Kyle Negrito won her second Best Setter award after a masterful showing as the second-top playmaker with 5.29 excellent sets per frame. She was the top server with 12 aces and averaging 0.86 aces per set no.2 setter, top eight blocker with four blocks and an average of 0.29 per set to finish as the No.19 scorer with 22 points. 

Cignal’s MJ Perez, the reigning Best Foreign Guest Player, brought home the Best Outside Spiker after leading all scorers with 115 points off 104 kills — fourth best attacker with 35.02% attack rate — second in blocking with nine and an average of 0.60 per set, and two aces. The Venezuelan was also the sixth-best receiver with 30.71% efficiency and seventh seventh-best digger with 2.47 digs per set.

READ: PVL: Depleted Creamline ready to step up, says Michele Gumabao

Creamline import Erica Staunton was the other Best Outside Spiker after scoring a total of 61 points for fourth place, third best attacker with a 36.24% rate from her 54 kills on top of four blocks  (10th in the department with 0.29 per set), and three aces (ninth in serving with an average of 0.21 per set).

Kurashiki Ablaze’s Low Mei Cing won the Best Middle Blocker award after leading her team to a bronze medal finish. She finished third in scoring with 65 points, emerged as the league’s best attacker with a 42.62% attack rate, and third in blocking with 0.56 blockers per set.

Cignal’s Jackie Acuña was the other Best Middle Blocker after emerging as the top blocker with 0.60 blocks per set in nine kill blocks.

Ablaze’s Saya Taniguchi was the Best Opposite Spiker after finishing seventh in scoring with 47 points and sixth in attacking with a 34.48% attack rate.

Est Cola didn’t go empty-handed as Kalyarat Khamwong won the Best Libero as a top-five best digger with 2.53 digs per set and seventh-best receiver with a 29.03 efficiency.