By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Creamline Cool Smashers will only have a short span of rest as they are set to banner the Philippine delegation in the upcoming 2022 ASEAN Grand Prix volleyball tournament from September 9-11 in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.
After a sixth-place finish during the recently concluded Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Cup for Women, the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) queens will seek to reign supreme in another international stint.
The Cool Smashers will go up against Vietnam, Indonesia, and Southeast Asian powerhouse squad Thailand that copped the SEA Games gold medal.
Despite failing to advance to the semifinals of the AVC Cup, Creamline still put up a gallant stand after punching a quarterfinal ticket.
The Cool Smashers had a slow start in the AVC Cup and absorbed two-straight losses but later on recovered after besting Iran and South Korea.
Creamline still exceeded expectations during the AVC Cup after a piece of bad news worried Filipino fans regarding superstar Alyssa Valdez.
Before the AVC Cup kicked off, the Cool Smashers announced that Valdez will not be suiting up with the team due to dengue.
Another huge blow for the Cool Smashers was the absence of veteran hitter Risa Sato who had to sit out due to health reasons.
“Kami sa team ng Creamline-Philippines, sobrang saya at nabigyan kami ng opportunity sa tournament na to. Hopefully, ma-improve natin yung highest level naman sa tournament na sasalihan ng Pilipinas,” said head coach Sherwin Meneses.
