Clutch Queen: Alyssa Valdez showcases experience in delivering daggers during Creamline's title clincher

MANILA, Philippines – She may not have had regular playing time during the elimination round, but phenom Alyssa Valdez remained the top choice for Creamline Cool Smashers head coach Sherwin Meneses when the going got tough in their title clincher vs Choco Mucho in the 2023 PVL 2nd All-Filipino Conference Saturday night.

During the nip-and-tuck affair, where the Flying Titans dragged the defending champions into a winner-take-all fifth set, Valdez was called on in the endgame, even as she sat out the previous sets with Meneses playing his cards with other players on the court.

No stranger to big situations, Valdez delivered beautifully in the deciding set, while also scoring the championship point off a cross-court hit.

After the match, which gave Creamline its seventh overall PVL title, Valdez said that she owes it all to her experience on how she kept her composure in the most pressure-filled situations.

“Well, honestly, I think one thing that works and worked for us, and worked for me this conference is that the experience I had playing for almost ilang years na rin talaga,” said Valdez, who ended up with eight big points in the title-clinching win.

“Siguro iba kasi yung challenges talaga namin as a team this conference may mga pinagdadaanan din kami bawat players in such a way na kailangan namin magrecover in different ways — especially may mga back-to-back games din ngayon, so, yun yung I think one advantage na we had this conference,” she added.

Valdez has yet to really return to her previous playing load after her knee injury last season. But with more than a number of capable teammates to fill the gap – like PVL MVPs Tots Carlos and Jema Galanza – Valdez had no qualms about extending her recovery.

Especially with a longer conference, playing a total of 15 games in the tournament, the former Ateneo standout put premium on getting enough rest, which their deep bench was able to afford.

“Napakalalim ng pool of players at napakagaling magstrategize ng mga coaches namin from coach Sherwin to our conditioning coach to our PTs. Kasi, alam mo na ito yung pinakamahabang conference talaga. Hanggang dulo dapat buo kami, 100% kami and yun yung I think na lamang din namin most especially ngayon sa conference at sa game na ito,” said Valdez. 

“'Pag pinasok talaga kami, yun lang, pag pinasok kami ni coach, kahit' di ka naglaro ng elimination, 'di ka naglaro ng ilang sets, kailangan buo yung puso mo kasi buo yung tiwala nila sayo.”

In Game 2, nine different players scored for the Cool Smashers as they remained the queens of the All-Filipino Conference for the third straight time, and landed their fifth All-Filipino title overall.

The win also marked the third time that the Cool Smashers swept their way to the crown in the PVL.