The harder the journey, the more rewarding the destination is.

Creamline has amassed quite a lot of Premier Volleyball League (PVL) titles before, but championship No. 11 hits differently.

Overcoming adversities, pulling through a couple of near-elimination experiences and painstakingly rebuilding a lost dynasty from scratch made the Cool Smashers’ 2026 All-Filipino Conference (AFC) a whole lot sweeter.

Removed from the throne for over a year, Creamline completed its redemption tour when Tots Carlos shut the door on Vanie Gandler for the championship point in the nailbiter finals Game 2 five-setter in front of a loud sea of pink and white inside the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Thursday night.

After almost a two-year wait, the Cool Smashers are champions once again.

“Super happy. It’s been a year since we last stepped into the finals. And then you experience the excitement of the game, especially here in Game 2, which went to five sets. It was an intense and pressure-packed game,” Creamline head coach Sherwin Meneses said after a hard-fought 25-23, 22-25, 25-16, 16-25, 15-11, closeout win in the best-of-three finals.

“Happy that Creamline once again captured the championship.”

The most-decorated team in the league has gone through a lot since making history with a rare grand slam in 2024.

It would then lose all of its titles, starting with a runner-up finish behind disbanded Petro Gazz in last year’s six-month-long AFC.

The Cool Smashers then missed the finals of the inaugural PVL On Tour and Invitationals before finishing sixth in the 2026 Reinforced Conference — their worst result since joining the league in 2017.

But it didn’t break Creamline. In fact, it fueled its desire to regain lost glory.

While the rest of the field beefed up their rosters by acquiring additional talent, the Cool Smashers stuck with their battle-tested core and welcomed the return of decorated setter Jia Morado-De Guzman after a three-year overseas stint as well as Bernadeth Pons after skipping a couple of conferences to concentrate on her beach volleyball duties for the national team.

Parading a relatively healthier and complete squad and playing through its strengths, system and staying true to its brand of volleyball paid dividends.

“We just stuck to the system that we have and pushed to improve from our lapses last year. For three conferences, we came up short of reaching the finals. But this year is different. We put in our effort and time to prepare for this conference,” Meneses said.

“There were injuries and illnesses, but I’m proud of my players because every time we missed a player, the bench was there to step up and contribute. So, it’s total team effort for us in this conference. I guess that was the key to our championship. Someone’s ready to fill in. That’s the best that has happened for Creamline this conference. Everybody delivered,” he added.

The Cool Smashers took the hard and perilous route to the throne.

A stinging five-set loss to the Super Spikers in the Qualifying round relegated Creamline to the knockout Play-in tournament.

Back against the wall, the Rebisco club fought off and eliminated a hungry Akari side, the Cool Smashers’ preliminary round tormentor, to catch a bus ride to the round-robin semifinals behind the heroics of veteran Alyssa Valdez.

Another defeat to Cignal following a five-set escape over PLDT in the semis put the Cool Smashers to the brink of elimination once again.

Experience and resolve forged by many battles won and lost spelled the difference for Creamline as it brought down Farm Fresh for its ninth straight all-local finals appearance.

The Cool Smashers stunned the Super Spikers with a straight sets win to draw first blood last Tuesday before going through the wringer in Game 2.

Cignal threatened to take the series to a decider after erecting a 9-7 lead in the fifth set. Creamline answered with three straight points before the Super Spikers knotted it one last time at 10.

Carlos ignited the Cool Smashers’ 5-1 finisher, she punctuated with a defensive gem over eventual conference Most Valuable Player Gandler.

“We’re grateful to the management for not giving up and keeping its faith in the core of Creamline. We’ve been together for a long time and have gone through a lot. I guess that’s our strength,” Meneses said.

“Just happy and grateful that Creamline is once again a champion.” Mark Escarlote