TO play pro volleyball overseas for the very first time, let alone for the PVL’s winningest team, is no easy ordeal by any means.

But for 24-year-old American spiker Erica Staunton, two more wins separate her from etching her name in the annals of Creamline’s championship dynasty with what could be their ninth PVL title.

Staunton, among the multiple offensive weapons for the Cool Smashers, had big shoes to fill in the conference-long absences of champion-MVP trio Alyssa Valdez, Tots Carlos and Jema Galanza.

Photo by: Sherwin Vardeleon

And she slotted in quite nicely as Creamline’s leading prelims scorer with 175 points (21.9 per game; seventh overall) and an all-important 19-piece to dethrone Petro Gazz in the knockout quarterfinals in a 25-23, 25-19, 25-18 sweep.

Living in the moment

When the limelight gets just a bit too bright, Staunton’s go-to coping mechanism is a ‘pretty specific’ pre-game ritual to calm herself down before setting foot on the taraflex.

“I kind of do a lot of things just to get my mind right before every game. I focus on my breathing, just mindfulness, visualization and stuff, just because that personally really helps me with settling any nerves,” said Staunton.

One thing that she also looks to remember is Creamline’s signature ‘good vibes’ mantra, to remind her that the joy of playing is just as important as any other aspect of the game.

“I also just remind myself that volleyball is fun. I have fun playing volleyball with my team and I love my teammates. I just make sure that I’m staying external because if I get internal and too much into my head, then it affects my play.

“I also make sure that I’m connecting with my teammates all the time, communicating, overly communicating if I’m feeling any nerves inside or anything like that.

“It’s really just kind of working on mindfulness things to stay calm.”

Honor of a lifetime

Creamline is only two wins away from continuing to build its legacy, as another championship will give the Cool Smashers their ninth title in 15 conferences since joining the league in 2017.

To play part in such an unrivaled winning culture has been an overwhelming privilege for Staunton.

Photo by: Sherwin Vardeleon

“It’s about having the focus of one game at a time, one day at a time, and just making sure that we’re preparing enough because we know we’re gonna have a tough game. But overall, extremely excited and I feel very blessed to be here on this time with experienced champions. I’m very lucky,” Staunton said.

Her local teammates are also motivated to get the job done for their guest import, who’ll only become the third-ever foreign player to win a PVL title with Creamline after Thai national team ace Kuttika Kaewpin and American spiker Laura Schaudt.

“Si Erica talaga, sobrang fit sa system namin sa Creamline. Kahit medyo maraming nawala sa’min, talagang nandyan si Erica para mag-sub sa kanila so very good samin si Erica,” said Creamline head coach Sherwin Meneses.

Bernadeth Pons added: “Gusto rin naming talaga ma-extend ‘yung (conference) na ‘to for Erica rin kasi sobrang nage-enjoy din talaga siya dito sa volleyball sa Philippines kaya hindi pa tapos ‘yung laban.”