Cool Smashers look forward to much-needed rest after tough PVL title conquest

MANILA, Philippines – The Creamline Cool Smashers, like everybody else in the Premier Volleyball League, will get the rest that they all deserve following one of the toughest, if not the toughest, conferences in league history.

But there is a certain air in the Cool Smashers that when they return from their much-needed respite, you could be assured they will be back in the hunting grounds, preying on everybody as alpha predators and collecting championships.

“For now, celebrate muna, bawas stress, wala muna isip sa volleyball,” said triumphant Creamline coach Sherwin Meneses late Sunday night, moments after he steered the dynastic franchise to an unmatched league record eighth championship with a two-game finals sweep and spanking of younger sibling Choco Mucho.

“After that, balik trabaho at pagbubutihin pa namin next conference,” he added.

It would also be the start of the proud club’s soul-searching of what it needed to do to keep up with the forever revolving improvement of the league landscape and rival squads eyeing to tear down its dynastic reign.

And it would begin inside every Creamline team member.

“Our losses were our lessons,” said Creamline unquestioned leader and the country’s face of the sport — Alyssa Valdez.

“It was really a difficult conference for us, probably because we’re really trying to figure out kung nasan kami at this point in our lives and our career and as a team din kung ano yung kaya pa naming i-improve.”

“But at the end of the day, we take this win as hope to all of us that no matter what, kahit nasaan kami, kahit ano yung rank namin before coming into the semis, may hope and chance talaga lahat ng bagay, hindi ka naggi-give up,” she added.

There is also the one concerning the big possibility, if not an inevitable occurrence, of veteran setter Jia de Guzman returning to the team after a stint in Japan last year.

“Oo,” said Meneses, when asked if De Guzman is returning to the team. “Pero yung status niya hindi pa namin alam but we will know bago mag start next conference, hopefully makabalik siya.”

“She will always be with Creamline, mabait lang talaga management in allowing opportunities for them abroad, hindi kami humahadlang,” he