On their way to the historic grand slam, Michele Gumabao, Alyssa Valdez, and the rest of the Creamline Cool Smashers triumphed over one of the most difficult PVL seasons.

The Creamline Cool Smashers faced an extremely difficult season in the 2024 PVL.

It all began when the Cool Smashers almost lost out on the semifinals of the All-Filipino Conference. However, Creamline persevered and successfully defended their title, demonstrating their tenacity.

Michele Gumabao later supported Alyssa Valdez’s admission that the 2024 All-Filipino tournament was the most difficult they had ever faced.

“I agree with Ly, All-Filipino was really tough for us because there were times na talagang sabi namin, ‘Lord, ‘di na talaga para samin ito.’ Tanggap na namin eh,” Gumabao said during an interview on Starting Lineup.

“It was our first time na baka hindi pumasok ever sa Final Four,” Valdez added.

The season’s opening conference, however, simply offered a preview of the Cool Smashers’ even more challenging path to success.

Creamline relied on Michele Gumabao to guide the squad in the import-heavy competition after Valdez and fellow MVP Tots Carlos missed the Reinforced Conference due to knee injury.

Gumabao, who looks to Valdez for support, finds it more difficult than Creamline to be without its celebrities.

“Alyssa is always there to give everybody a wake-up call but this time around, I think the hardest part was not having her inside the court,” Gumabao admitted.

“There were times na parang siyempre being one of the oldest inside the court tapos wala pa si Ly, so parang sometimes iba din talaga ‘yung mental na coming from sanay ka na papasok ka pag-crucial, double sub and then kailangan babad and the games were sunod-sunod tapos import pa ‘yung kalaban namin,” she added.

For their second consecutive triumph, Gumabao and the other Cool Smashers overcame obstacles to defeat every squad that faced them.

“All the challenges all together talaga and malaking factor din na kulang kami sa kapalit. Kitang-kita ‘yung difficulty on the part of our coaches but ang ganda rin naman talaga ‘yung nagawa namin this whole season,” she bared.

Valdez acknowledged the emotional rollercoaster while continuing to provide support from the sidelines. Creamline needed to get ready for the Invitational Conference, thus they had less than a day to enjoy winning the Reinforced Conference.

“I remember that night [during celebrations] kasi sabi namin, okay walang masyadong late matutulog,” Valdez recalled.

“I see siyempre medyo na-sad din ‘yung mga players kasi iba ‘yung champion ng Reinforced and even our reinforcement Erica [Staunton] wanted to celebrate but then again, it was a motivation for everyone to push until the very end,” she added.

Creamline persevered in their grand slam push in spite of the short turnaround, giving it their all on the court to overcome the Cignal HD Spikers in the Finals and finish their historic run.

The victory over Cignal in the Invitational Conference championship was very poignant for Gumabao.

“I told Ly this—it was the first time in a long time that I cried after a championship. It wasn’t that I didn’t feel it before, but this time, I was just so happy,” said Gumabao, who was named the conference MVP. “That championship, the last championship that we had against Cignal, ‘yun talaga ‘yung sabi ko grabe ‘yung emotions as in dun talaga naiyak ako ulit ng grabe.”

The physical toll of the season was apparent, with the players pushing through aches, pains, and injuries. But what kept them going was the sight of their teammates persevering.

“When you see your teammates fighting through the pain in practice, and then come game time, it’s like the pain isn’t even there—it just pushes you,” said Gumabao.

For both Valdez and Gumabao, the 2024 PVL season was a testament to their team’s resilience. Despite the struggles, they found strength in each other and in the leadership of their coaches, proving once again why the Cool Smashers are the winningest team in the league.