If there's one player who will fold under the bright lights and the immense pressure in the semifinals of the PVL Second All-Filipino Conference, it's not Alyssa Valdez.
The volleyball megastar has seen it all. Been there. Done that. And she wants more.
Valdez was instrumental yet again—surprise, surprise—for the Creamline Cool Smashers in their straight-sets victory over the Chery Tiggo Crossovers in Game 1 of their best-of-three series on Thursday.
She scored 12 points and provided leadership throughout the match. She's quite aware that the stakes are higher and that the Crossovers shouldn't be taken lightly.
“We all know Chery will give us a good fight. We really have to work hard for every point. 'Yun ang mindset namin. Buo 'yung tiwala ng bawat isa sa bawat player, nasa loob man o nasa labas. Basta ibigay namin ang lahat, nasa dulo 'yung reward," said Valdez in the postgame press conference.
The 30-year-old spiker has been a constant for Creamline. Or in the PVL, for that matter. She's seen players come and go, and yet she remains a stalwart of the league. To borrow a line from the late great sports scribe Jim Murray, she’s as inevitable as tomorrow.
Against Chery Tiggo, Valdez is up against younger players, including, perhaps most notably, Eya Laure. She scored a game-high 18 points and displayed incredible resolve in trying to will her squad to the win. Her efforts, however, fell short.
Valdez had nothing but high praise for the fast-rising 24-year-old. She also made a brutal admission.
"Hindi na rin talaga kami bumabata," said the three-time PVL MVP, eliciting a mocking laughter from Jema Galanza. "Hindi ko na kasi naabutan si Eya nung high school, even nung college. But it's just so nice to play with the younger generation of talents. You can see how skillful these young girls are kasi mapa-break ball, good ball, talagang papaluin at papaluin nila."
Even though Laure and the Crossovers are out to get their necks, the ever-gracious Valdez remained quite diplomatic.
"It's nice to go up against them and go up against Eya. Looking forward to more games to come," added the Cool Smashers skipper.
ALSO READ: Alyssa Valdez, Jema Galanza dish on how crazy competitive Creamline is during practice
Creamline will look to close out the series this Saturday, while Chery Tiggo will aim to force a rubber match.
Catch Game 2 live at 6 p.m. on One Sports, One Sports+, and the Pilipinas Live app.
(With reports from Jamie Velasco, One Sports Digital)