"Happy lang" volleyball is still key to Creamline's championship defense.
Every team in the PVL it seems has made a big move or two — all in a bid to topple the defending Open Conference champions, the Creamline Cool Smashers.
Despite all the player movement, the Cool Smashers just stood pat, and it appears Tots Carlos is fine it with it. The two-time MVP might not want it any other way because she sees that status quo as working to Creamline’s favor.
“That’s one of our advantages, kasi yung system ni Coach [Sherwin Meneses] tuloy-tuloy lang,” said Carlos when asked about the Cool Smashers choosing to keep the roster intact in the offseason. “When you add players, we have to help them also blend sa team. Yung sa ‘min medyo madali kasi alam na namin ang isa’t isa and we know how to help each other mag-adjust in terms of kung anong pinapagawa nila coach.”
While the veteran opposite hitter believes Creamline holds an advantage over other teams from a chemistry standpoint, she knows the competition will be a notch higher this season, with every team out to dethrone the Cool Smashers.
Again, Carlos is unfazed. In fact, she seems to be relishing the upcoming challenge, fully believing the entire Creamline team is up to the task of defending the All-Filipino crown.
“We really expect everyone to step up this conference,” said Carlos. “We don’t train just to play, we train to win. So, I think it’s going to be an exciting, competitive season for us.”
Indeed, Carlos seems to be setting the bar pretty high for the defending champions. But don’t expect the Cool Smashers to be overwhelmed — at least not according to the former MVP, who expects everyone on the team to contribute and play the kind of "happy, happy lang" volleyball Creamline is known for.
A return to form will surely make the Cool Smashers and their fans happy. The rest of the field? Maybe not so much.