Team captain Alyssa Valdez leads Creamline to a 25-19, 25-20, 15-25, 26-28, 16-14 victory over Cignal in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference preliminaries at Playtime Filoil Centre in San Juan City on Saturday (March 21, 2026). She delivered 22 points, 13 digs, and 13 receptions. (PVL photo)
Alyssa Valdez once again showed why she remains one of the Premier Volleyball League’s biggest stars, earning Press Corps Player of the Week honors after steering Creamline to a gutsy five-set victory over Cignal in the All-Filipino Conference preliminaries.
The Cool Smashers captain turned in a vintage all-around performance in Creamline’s thrilling 25-19, 25-20, 15-25, 26-28, 16-14 win over the HD Spikers at the Playtime Filoil Centre in San Juan City on Saturday. Valdez finished with 22 points on top of 13 digs and 13 receptions, drawing recognition from the print and online reporters covering the league organized by Sports Vision.
She prevailed over a strong field of candidates that included Farm Fresh standouts Royse Tubino and Trisha Tubu, Akari’s Eli Soyud, Nxled’s Brooke Van Sickle, and Choco Mucho’s Sisi Rondina.
Valdez’s latest honor came as Creamline continued to lean on its veteran leader in crucial moments. Even in the Cool Smashers’ 16-25, 22-25, 25-18, 23-25 loss to Farm Fresh in Santa Rosa, Laguna on March 17, she stepped up with 14 points and 11 digs despite playing just her second start of the conference. Creamline also had to cope without head coach Sherwin Meneses and key teammates Jema Galanza and Bernadeth Pons in that match.
For Valdez, the challenge has been as much about staying ready as it is about lifting the entire team when needed.
“I think every game, it’s more of a reminder for myself and for the team that we’re still here. If there’s something to motivate myself, it’s also hard to actually just think of other people. So now, like me, I really think it’s a reminder that I can do it and I’ll just do my part in practice and when necessary, I’ll help,” said the 32-year-old in a news release Sunday.
Now locked in a 6-3 tie, Creamline and Cignal are set for another high-stakes showdown on March 26 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, where a coveted semifinal berth will be on the line.
As the pressure rises, Valdez made it clear that for Creamline, the focus is not on proving anything to anyone but on staying united when it matters most.
“It’s not more on trying to prove anything but maybe more on trying to stick together and making sure to myself and the team that we will be together until the end,” said Valdez, a three-time PVL Most Valuable Player.