Pink is gold: Creamline eyes loftier goals after another team honor

MANILA, Philippines – For many seasons now, it’s the bright pink jerseys of Creamline that splashed many championship celebrations.

As the yardstick of local pro volleyball, Creamline has netted an impressive 10 championships in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) and became the first team to sweep all three season conference titles, achieving what’s known in sports as a Grand Slam.

The feat earned Creamline a Special Citation during the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Awards Night, where the country’s top athletes and teams were recently honored.

“We are very happy and it’s another motivation for us to be better this year, so hopefully, it will become an inspiration,” said Creamline team captain Alyssa Valdez.

Since the inception of the PVL in 2017 and subsequent transition into a professional volleyball league during the pandemic, the Cool Smashers have since become the gold standard.

And all the players aim to keep it that way.

“We’re happy and grateful that we were recognized again, and I would like to thank all my teammates since this is a result of what we trained hard for,” said outside hitter Bernadeth Pons.

Bea de Leon, the towering addition to the squad and former captain of the Choco Mucho franchise, joined the team in celebrating the honor. 

“We’re so happy since this is the second time that we won the award, but the first time with Bea, so this makes it sweeter,” said former Finals Most Valuable Player Jema Galanza.

De Leon signed with the Cool Smashers in January 2024, mere months after a bridesmaid finish to Creamline in the 2023 Second All-Filipino Conference title series.

The team then went on to knock out Choco Mucho in the All-Filipino Conference, Akari in the Reinforced, and Cignal in the Invitational to complete the Grand Slam.

“It’s really a big honor and it’s a testament to the hard work we’ve done all year,” said De Leon.

But of course, the job’s not done. Creamline’s string of success continued this year as it raced to an immaculate 6-0 start in the All-Filipino.

It won’t be a surprise, then, if it would turn out to be another pink celebration by conference’s end. – Rappler.com