Tots Carlos and the Creamline Cool Smashers banked on their championship mentality to overcome arguably their toughest PVL challenge yet and secure a Finals berth in the 2024 All-Filipino Conference.
Creamline has long been the gold standard in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL).
Year after year, the Cool Smashers have etched their names in the annals of league history, claiming titles with remarkable regularity and rarely tasting defeat.
However, the 2024 PVL All-Filipino Conference brought about a narrative seldom seen before. For the first time in recent memory, the perennial champions have appeared vulnerable.
In the elimination round alone, Creamline stumbled thrice, losing to Chery Tiggo, Petro Gazz, and PLDT. This was the first time since the 2018 Open Conference that the team had lost three matches in the preliminaries.
Then, in the opening match of the round-robin semifinals last Tuesday, April 30, the Cool Smashers suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Choco Mucho Flying Titans, marking their first-ever defeat to their sister team.
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Despite these setbacks, Creamline’s true strength emerged – their resiliency.
Backed against the wall with a 0-1 standing in the playoffs, the Cool Smashers rallied with the tenacity that had made them champions in the past, overcoming the Angels in a hard-fought clash last Thursday, May 2. Their resilience then carried them forward, allowing them to overpower the Crossovers on Sunday, May 5, securing a return trip to the Finals.
This marks the seventh-straight appearance of the perennial champions in the finale of the All-Filipino or Open Conference, and their fifth time since the league turned pro in 2021.
[ALSO READ: PVL: Jema Galanza, Creamline rise above doubts, bank on trust to defeat Petro Gazz]
Reflecting on the difficult road back to the championship round, Tots Carlos said that it was Creamline's championship mindset that helped them navigate through the toughest challenges.
“Parang doon din kasi pumupunta ‘yung mindset namin everyday na champion mindset. Sabi ni coach, hindi naman namin control lahat ng situations, so hindi ‘yan magiging perfect or hindi ‘yan laging pabor samin. If merong mga times na ‘yung sitwasyon hindi pabor samin, ang magagawa lang naman namin is labanan ‘yung situation,” the three-time league MVP said.
“Nakakatuwa kapag nananalo kami pero ‘pag hindi kami nananalo, alam namin saan kami nagkukulang. Alam namin na ‘yung bawat isa samin babawi, so I think ‘yun ‘yung maganda sa amin na hindi porket champion kami last season, ine-expect namin na magiging maganda ‘yung season namin.”
[ALSO READ: PVL: Tots Carlos keeps overseas options open after going undrafted in 2024 KOVO Draft]
As Creamline prepares for a best-of-three Finals rematch with Choco Mucho, set to begin on Thursday, May 9, Carlos and the rest of the Cool Smashers carry with them the lessons of their struggles, ready to fight for their title once more.
“Honestly, ako naging maganda yung season namin kasi kahit na natalo kami, nandito kami ngayon sa championship so masaya kami sa mga nangyari. ‘Yung process ba na sinasabi namin palagi, ‘yun kasi ‘yung pinakamahalaga eh, ‘yung championship na ‘yung premyo namin,” Carlos said.