Cool Smashers stay unbeaten after crushing Crossovers
With how Creamline has been shutting down every opponent that stands in its way, it seems like nothing can bring down the Cool Smashers in the PVL All-Filipino Conference anytime soon.
The reigning champions remained unbeaten in the centerpiece tournament and extended their winning streak to 18, counting their last 10 games in the last Reinforced Conference when the Cool Smashers ultimately completed the league’s first-ever Grand Slam.
And Bea de Leon, more than a year since transferring to Creamline, just got further confirmation why the Cool Smashers have been the most dominant team this league has seen.
“I am relatively new to the team, so from the outside coming in, I am still amazed at their (my teammates’) mindset,” De Leon, the erstwhile co-captain of Creamline archrival and sister team Choco Mucho, said. “Because despite all of their accomplishments, the work ethic, the discipline and level of training are still so high.”
Eight-game run
De Leon just had her turn powering Creamline with a team-high 13 points in a 25-17, 25-17, 25-20 beating of Chery Tiggo on Thursday at PhilSports Arena that stretched their unbeaten run here to eight games for the solo lead.
“It’s motivating, on my part, to see because despite all the greatness they’ve already [accomplished], it’s still 100-percent all in as if they haven’t won anything yet,” she added after her performance that featured eight attacks, three aces and a pair of blocks.
All the accolades and the current scorching run, however, fail to bring down the excellence that the Cool Smashers bring to the court every game, stemming, obviously, from the deeply embedded culture of being the league’s winningest team.
“From the bashing of coach Sherwin [Meneses],” De Leon joked when asked how her crew remains grounded despite all of its success. “But I think it’s very innate also [in every player] so it’s a culture thing.”
What’s scary is everyone on the team has the same thinking moving forward.
“From [superstar Alyssa Valdez] establishing that we need to keep going, keep learning no matter what we are able to reach, there’s always room for more [improvement].”
Nearing the end of classification and how Creamline is playing, the Cool Smashers are again installed as solid picks to add to their glory. Three more squads get a chance to put the brakes on the stampeding Cool Smashers in Farm Fresh, PLDT and Galeries Tower.
If no one successfully stops Creamline, it can secure its position at the top of the food chain at the end of the preliminary round and can have a feast in the qualifying round where it will battle the bottom team.
“We feel the same way in every game, we aren’t taking advantage of the 8-0 record. For us, it’s just one game at a time,” said Meneses. “That’s all that we are thinking of, but of course, we are happy because of the good results.”
