Creamline Cool Smashers’ Erica Staunton, Kyle Negrito and Michele Gumabao after clinching the Invitationals championship. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
A lot has been said when Creamline came into the last two conferences of this PVL season without its foremost offensive weapons. And they were certainly not encouraging.
But the Cool Smashers clinched the Reinforced and Invitational Conferences spread in just over a week, completing the league’s first Grand Slam in the process to, well, smash all doubts about them not being able to perform at the highest level because of missing cogs.
Everyone looked at Creamline as a walking-wounded lot. Everyone except the Cool Smashers.
READ: PVL: Kyle Negrito proves worth as Creamline leader with Finals MVP
“We don’t have a shortage [of players]. Like what (coach Sherwin Meneses) said, only seven people play,” Kyle Negrito, the Invitational Conference best setter and Finals MVP, said in Filipino after Creamline iced Cignal, 21-25, 25-17, 20-25, 26-24, 15-13, on Thursday night for the title.
“There’s more than enough of us,” Negrito added as Meneses blurted out in the background: “We have a lot of players, 21.”
Because of injuries, Alyssa Valdez and Tots Carlos were not able to suit up in the last two conferences, while Jema Galanza answered national team call before returning in the last two games of the Invitational.
MVPs produced
Meneses found gems within his well-knit roster and produced brand new MVPs such as Negrito, Bernadeth Pons in the Reinforced and veteran Michele Gumabao while unleashing the potential of young import Erica Staunton.
The fatigue factor, because of the short turnaround time between conferences, was the latest thing that should have slowed down Creamline.
READ: PVL: Jema Galanza happy to give exhausted Creamline timely boost
Until the Cool Smashers played with the stuff of champions and ultimately immortalized themselves with a first-ever Triple Crown sweep.
“It was difficult to win the championship. Is it the hardest? Yes. Because it was not only a test of skill but also conditioning, mindset and physical and emotional [aspects],” Gumabao, who won her first conference MVP while stepping up to provide leadership in the absence of Valdez, said.
“It was hard, but as long as we are together, we will always come through.”
While Creamline was already doing well without her, as proven in their Reinforced Conference triumph, Galanza thought—before wearing her pink jersey again—that she could somehow provide relief to her battle-worn teammates even for just two games.
“I actually did not want to play anymore because they’re playing well, but I knew that they still needed help, probably not in points but having another voice to guide (them),” the two-time MVP Galanza, who nailed the game-winning point, said.
“I know how tired they all are, and coach said I was the only one that still has something in the tank.”
With that kind of mentality and belief in themselves, no one will be questioning what Creamline, even without its sharpest tools, can do again.
Negrito stressed that “we don’t have a problem with whoever is on the floor.” It’s still the rest of the field which failed to figure Creamline out despite everything that was said.