Learning to handle pressure under the brightest of lights will always be Erica Staunton’s greatest lesson following her stint with Creamline.
Staunton told DAILY TRIBUNE that playing alongside veterans Alyssa Valdez, Tots Carlos, and Jia de Guzman enabled her to overcome pressure that comes with playing in a championship.
The 23-year-old American import was at a meet-and-greet event at Buffalo Wild Wings in Pasig City last Thursday and she could not help but rave about her successful teamup with the local players.
“I’m just grateful to have been able to play at a competitive level and play for championships this season. I think it taught me how to handle pressure and training in a gym with girls who are so successful and have won championships,” Staunton said.
“They just train like champions every single day, so I think that instilled it in me as well. I’ll definitely take that hard work ethic into every other club that I go into, just knowing that I need to grind every day.”
In her first stint as a professional volleyball player, Staunton helped the Cool Smashers win both the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Reinforced Conference and Invitational Conference.
Her name will go down in the history books as part of the first PVL team in history to achieve a rare Grand Slam.
Staunton credited Creamline head coach Sherwin Meneses in helping her find her rhythm in the PVL.
“Coach Sherwin is definitely like that. He doesn’t yell at us and he’s very calm,” Staunton said.
“He’s okay with mistakes as long as you learn from them and do better the next time. He’s a great coach, very calm and collected. I think that rubs off on the entire team and goes into the good vibes and energy because there’s no negative energy in Creamline at all.”
As she starts her new stint with Oriveden Ponnistus in Poland, Staunton will be bringing the lessons and memories she got during her stay in the Philippines.
“It means the world to me and I hopefully can take this work ethic and these lessons and know how to handle pressure into every other team that I play for,” Staunton said.