Creamline, the most successful squad in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL), will lead the list of awardees when the first-ever Pilipinas Live PVL Press Corps Awards Night takes place on 28 May at the Novotel Manila Araneta City in Quezon City.
Displaying excellence in amassing 176 wins in 216 all-time league matches, the Cool Smashers built and upheld a winning culture over the last eight years and will receive the Team of the Year trophy.
Creamline highlighted its dominance by becoming the PVL’s first grand slam champion after sweeping all three conferences of the 2024 PVL season.
The 10-time PVL champions earned the special nod in the inaugural awards night presented by Arena Plus after garnering 13.6 points in the poll, 10.8 of which came from the media and 2.8 from teams.
Petro Gazz came in second with 9.4 votes from 3.0 media votes and 6.4 team votes after foiling Creamline’s All-Filipino Conference five-peat bid last April.
Doubt clouded the Cool Smashers’ grand slam bid with the star trio of Alyssa Valdez and Tots Carlos, coming off injuries, and Jema Galanza, unavailable for most of the season due to national team duties, taking the backseat.
In their absence, an unlikely hero in 24-year-old American import and pro league debutant Erica Staunton took over alongside a new MVP trio in Bernadeth Pons, Michele Gumabao and Kyle Negrito to complete the championship treble.
The Cool Smashers’ dominant year was also highlighted by their 19-game win streak, which spanned from the 2024 Reinforced Conference to the tail-end of the 2024-25 PVL AFC, marking the second-longest unbeaten run in league history.
Creamline, however, did have its fair share of struggles and suffered a stinging championship loss to Petro Gazz in three games, ending their hopes of extending their all-local reign.
But when push came to shove, it’s eight years of unmatched chemistry as a battle-tested family still stood firm even in rare times of defeat.
As such, grizzled tactician Sherwin Meneses, architect of the Cool Smashers’ blazing run, will also be honored as the league’s Coach of the Year.
The 42-year-old mentor did what only four other coaches in all of Philippine sports have done in half a century — win a grand slam.
Meneses won the top coaching plum with 11 points built from 7.8 media votes and 3.2 team votes.
Petro Gazz’s champion shot-caller Japanese Koji Tsuzurabara ranked second with 9.6 points on an even split of 4.8 media votes and 4.8 team votes.