Creamline overcame early nerves and chemistry concerns to open its 2025 AVC Women’s Champions League campaign with a 29-27, 25-20, 25-19 victory over Al Naser of Jordan at the Philsports Arena on Sunday, wresting the early Pool A lead.
Still reeling from a tough loss in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Finals that ended their historic reign, the Cool Smashers needed to weather a gritty stand by the young but fearless Jordanian side in the opening set.
The tight opener exposed Creamline’s growing pains as the Cool Smashers worked to find rhythm and cohesion with two of their three new imports seeing action for the first time.
“It was a good fight, and we’re very grateful we got the win,” said Alyssa Valdez, who emerged as Best Player of the Game with 10 points, including seven on attacks. “Even if they’re young, we had to give it our all. They train hard, too, and they’ll find ways to score.”
Creamline head coach Sherwin Meneses experimented with different combinations early, particularly in the setter rotation, as he tried to integrate American reinforcement Erica Staunton and Kazakh middle blocker Anastassiya Kolomoyets and Russian outside hitter Anastasya Kudryashova into the local-dominated core.
The rotation of Rhea Villarete and Kyle Negrito in the setter spot proved instrumental in stabilizing the team and allowing wing spikers to find their groove.
Staunton, familiar to fans for her standout performances during last year’s Grand Slam run, once again showed why she’s a vital asset, bringing consistent firepower and composure during crucial moments.
“Playing with three imports is new for us,” added Valdez. “We never had this kind of experience before. Communication is key, and we’re working on it. Our system is different, so integrating them into our style takes time.”
The win mirrored the dominant starts of Kaohsiung Taipower (Pool B) and Beijing Baic Motor (Pool C) in the four-group, 12-club tournament that features top teams from 10 countries, including three representatives from the host nation.
Those victories brought them a step closer to the quarterfinals of the eight-day championship, which is supported by Mikasa, Mizuno, and Grand Sport as federation partners.
“Importante yung game ngayon kasi I think makaka-ensayo pa kami ng ilang days para sa adjustment sa three imports, especially doon sa two imports na bago namin. I think one to two days pa, magiging maganda na yung performance namin (This game was important because I think we'll still have a few days to train and adjust with our three imports, especially with the two new ones. I think in a day or two, our performance will really improve)," said Meneses.
In the third set, Al Naser threatened to close the gap after an attack error from Kolomoyets and a crosscourt hit by Klein Pully trimmed Creamline’s lead to 16-14. But the Jordanians faltered under pressure – a service error from Da Silveira Isabela Paquiadri, a mishit from Pully, and a sharp crosscourt kill by Erica Staunton enabled the Cool Smashers to restore control with a 19-14 cushion.
Staunton then took over in crunch time, delivering back-to-back kills from both wings to cap the 82-minute match. The 24-year-old American import actually scored four of Creamline’s last five points – highlighted by two consecutive crosscourt missiles, an off-the-block hit, and a game-winning off-the-block attack.
Lorie Bernardo also made her presence felt late in the match, notching a kill block that helped seal Creamline’s strong start in the tournament organized by Sports Vision and supported by PLDT, MWell, Eagle Cement, Rebisco, Akari, Gameville, PNVF, PSC, Cignal and The Look Group.
Riding the momentum from their thrilling first set win, the Cool Smashers surged ahead in the second frame with a commanding 21-17 lead. They pulled away behind three decisive attacks from Yeliz Kudryashova and a well-timed service ace from Pangs Panaga to establish a 2-0 advantage.
Earlier, in the extended first set, with the score tied at 26, Jema Galanza came off the bench and made an immediate impact, delivering back-to-back combination plays. Panaga then rose to the occasion, rejecting Al Naser’s Marques Natiele at the net to secure the set for Creamline.
Despite the shaky start, Creamline’s depth and experience showed in the second and third sets, where they re-asserted control and played with more fluidity to complete its domination.
