After navigating their toughest road to the finals yet, Alyssa Valdez and the Creamline Cool Smashers are out to reassert their dominance in the 2026 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference championship.

The three-time Most Valuable Player embraced an unfamiliar role as a service specialist in a do-or-die semifinal, helping Creamline secure its ninth straight All-Filipino finals berth after a 25-23, 14-25, 25-23, 25-19 win over Farm Fresh on Thursday at Filoil Centre.

 

Photo: PVL

Back in the finals after missing out in the last three conferences, the Cool Smashers will face the Cignal Super Spikers in a best-of-three series starting Tuesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

“Coming into the Finals, we just want to show and even see for ourselves who the Creamline Cool Smashers really are after everything we’ve been through,” Valdez said.

Creamline’s path was anything but easy. After falling to Cignal in the qualifying round, the Cool Smashers were pushed to the Play-In, where they survived a knockout game against Akari before enduring another setback to the Super Spikers in the semifinals.

 

Photo: PVL

That forced them into a winner-take-all clash with Farm Fresh, which they survived to return to the championship stage.

“Of course, we’re really happy. It feels so good to be back in the Finals. It’s been a while,” Valdez said. 

 

“Honestly, it’s hard to put into words what we’re feeling right now.”

Now with a healthier and more complete roster, Valdez believes the adversity has strengthened their identity as a team, especially with the return of key pieces like Jia De Guzman, Bernadeth Pons, and Jema Galanza.

“For this conference, our mindset has really been about getting to know ourselves better as Creamline,” she said. “We’ve grown closer because of all the challenges we went through.”