By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Legacy cemented.
Despite winning numerous trophies since joining the Premier Volleyball League in 2017, there was only one thing that is missing in the Creamline Cool Smashers’ cabinet of trophies – winning a Grand Slam.
Not anymore as the Cool Smashers finally achieved that elusive goal this year, becoming the first team in PVL history to win all the three Conferences.
Still on a high from winning the 2023 Second All-Filipino crown, the Cool Smashers continued their assault by capturing the 2024 All-Filipino title.
They finished fourth in the preliminaries before claiming the second finals berth in the round-robin semifinals, arranging a best-of-three finals for the trophy against sister team Choco Mucho Flying Titans.
It didn’t take long to snare the title as they swept the Flying Titans on their way to collecting their eighth crown overall.
That boosted their confidence entering the Reinforced Conference where the team had little success. After all, the last time they won this import-laden Conference was in 2018.
They found a gem of an import in American Erica Staunton.
At 23, the American opposite hitter was the youngest reinforcement in league history. But that didn’t undermine her capabilities to jell with the squad known for its depth and cohesion.
True enough, Staunton emerged as the vital driving force, guiding the Cool Smashers to a title win against the Akari Chargers.
With two crowns already in their possessions, the pressure was on for the Cool Smashers to complete a perfect season.
They waxed hot early, sweeping the four-game preliminaries at the start of the Invitational Conference that include a victory over defending champion and former Finals rival Kurashiki Ablaze of Japan.
They arranged a knockout finals match against the Cignal HD Spikers, and held their composure in pivotal moments before surviving the nail-biting five-set thriller for the trophy.
As if those were not enough, 10 individual awards were collected by Cool Smashers players, including the Reinforced Conference and Finals MVP trophies for Bernadeth Pons, All-Filipino Finals MVP for Jema Galanza, Invitational Conference MVP Michele Gumabao and Finals MVP for Kyle Negrito.
Indeed, the Cool Smashers showed they are currently the best volleyball team in the country.
