BEA DE LEON ABSORBS CREAMLINE'S WINNING CULTURE

MANILA, Philippines — Hungrier to win than ever, Bea De Leon now understood why Creamline is the perennial champion of the Premier Volleyball League (PVL).

The former team captain of Choco Mucho flaunted her beastly form as a middle blocker after chipping in 14 points on seven attacks, five blocks, and two aces to allow Creamline to secure its 17th straight semifinals appearance, 20-25, 25-21, 25-22, 25-22, on Saturday, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.

De Leon, who transferred to Creamline in the 2024 PVL All-Filipino Conference, is now fully gelled to the team and well adjusted to the system.

"For me, it's the culture. The mindset of everyone. From the leaders, and to everybody on the team. For the coaches, they showed us there is always more to learn, and we try to give our best every day. Even when we are tired, and it's difficult we do our work," the Ateneo de Manila University stalwart said after the game.

"Yeah, the standout for me is the winning culture," the former UAAP Finals MVP added.

After overcoming a first-set fluke, the Cool Smashers got back on their feet in the second and third frames to take a 2-1 set advantage.

In the fourth set, Creamline pulled away early after a 9-2 run with De Leon leading the offense, 22-15.

Chery Tiggo pulled a 5-1 rally, 23-20, but Bernadeth Pons responded with an off-the-block hit to inch Creamline closer.

De Leon came out feisty and pulled a quick attack to finish the match, 25-21.

Tallying five blocks in the match, De Leon remained humble and shared that it was all possible due to coach Sherwin Meneses' system.

"Everyday coach is reminding us to just work. Everything is on pace, and every day we deliver what is needed, and we have trust in each other. We always maximize and work on everything. From the basics, do what we need to do, and who's our opponent. It's systematic," she added.

Creamline, and its sister team Choco Mucho, and Akari now secure a semifinal slot in the 2024-25 All-FIlipino Conference.

Meanwhile, ZUS and Petro Gazz, which are even in the series will clash on which team will advance to the next round on Tuesday, March 25, at the PhilSports Arena.

2025-03-24T00:07:10Z