Creamline Cool Smashers’ Sherwin Meneses during an AVC Champions League game. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines —Losing is part of the learning process for the Creamline Cool Smashers, whose Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Champions League campaign ended in the quarterfinals.
The 10-time PVL champion got swept by Thailand’s Nakhon Ratchasima in the knockout quarterfinals, 15-25, 22-25, 16-25, on Thursday at Philsports Arena.
READ: AVC: Creamline’s semifinals hopes dashed with Nakhon sweep
Creamline coach Sherwin Meneses remained proud of his players following a grueling six-month PVL All-Filipino Conference, which ended with their five-peat hopes dashed by Petro Gazz in Game 3 of the finals just last week.
“Of course, we’re still happy that we got to play in the AVC again, even if things didn’t go our way. Hopefully, in the next international tournament, we’ll be able to prepare better. But no excuses, we just didn’t make it to the semifinals,” said Meneses in Filipino. “Still, it was a great experience and it helped us a lot as a team.”
Creamline Cool Smashers in the AVC Champions League. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
Creamline captain and national team veteran Alyssa Valdez said their recent setbacks, though tough, will only make them stronger.
“This tournament was a tall order for us because we didn’t get much time to train and adjust, especially with the new imports. But no excuses,” said Valdez.
READ: AVC: Galanza, Pons cherish PH stint with Creamline despite exit
“It was still a good experience. We did our best to adjust with what we had, and hopefully we’ll be more prepared and more polished. We had nothing to lose, but everything to gain here. And I hope we carry those lessons forward, even after our loss in the PVL. This was a meaningful experience for all of us.”
Valdez, who played internationally for the first time in two years, relished the opportunity to test the top Asian teams with different systems.
“It really challenged our own system and pushed us to grow,” Valdez said. “That’s when you really see what you need to improve, not just as individuals, but as a team. It’s good to step outside your comfort zone sometimes. And when you face a team with a complete, well-oiled system, you take that seriously.”
The Cool Smashers won their first game against Al Naser Club of Jordan but lost two straight matches to semifinalists Zhetysu, which swept Pool A and eliminated PLDT, and Nakhon Ratchasima in the quarterfinals.
Meneses said Creamline will now take a well-deserved break after a long season, with no decisions yet on import choices for the upcoming Reinforced Conference. However, the team still has its sights on reuniting with American spiker Erica Staunton.
“Right now, choosing an import isn’t even in our vocabulary yet. Our main focus after AVC is really to give the players some rest. The Reinforced Conference is still a bit far, so there’s time and more options to look into,” the Creamline coach said.
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“If we get the import we want, especially Erica, and if she’s available by October, that would be great. But we’ll see.”