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Best Outside Spiker Erica Staunton happy to play with Creamline’s ‘great group of girls’

Creamline’s Erica Staunton wins Best Outside Spiker award in the 2024 PVL Invitational Conference. Photo from PVL Media Bureau

MANILA – Creamline import Erica Staunton was ecstatic as her team completed the Premier Volleyball League’s first-ever Grand Slam at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City on Thursday.

Reflecting on her stint, Staunton said she was happy to team up with the “great group of girls” in Creamline.

“I am just ecstatic, but honestly it’s been great playing with this team. And I think it’s just a test of the mentality of my teammates. I was really lucky to come in with such a talented team with such a great group of girls,” Staunton said after the Cool Smashers clinched the 2024 Invitational Conference crown, 21-25, 25-17, 20-25, 26-24, 15-13.

Staunton, after towing the Cool Smashers to the championship match, also won the Best Outside Spiker award in the 2024 Invitational Conference alongside Cignal counterpart MJ Perez.

She was quick to share credit after receiving the individual citation.

“Winning best outside hitter, I could not done it without my teammates, Kylie, the Best Setter–honestly, it’s all team effort, overall, just like what MG [Michele Gumabao] said, I am so excited that I ended on a high note here,” she added.

Staunton said she will never forget her first professional stint with the PVL’s winningest club.

“They know what it takes to win and work hard every day. So I was really able to kind of look to them for that inspiration, and even on the hard days just know that they’re putting themselves and they’re competing to win championships every day,” Staunton said.

“That is something that I’ll take to the rest of my career, just working hard and pushing myself, even though on days that I am tired, and on days that I don’t wanna wake up for practice, so that is something that inspired [me],” she added.

In the final, the American wing spiker led all Cool Smashers in scoring with 29 points built on 26 attacks.

Staunton previously said that she would be competing in Finland after the pocket tournament.

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