Erica Staunton was left in awe after playing in her first-ever Creamline-Choco Mucho game late into the PVL Reinforced Conference.
Creamline and Choco Mucho added a new page to their rivalry last Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena. A total of 9,429 fans gathered at the MOA Arena to witness their 2024 Reinforced Conference matchup.
Third-seeded Creamline went on to sweep Choco Mucho 25-16, 25-19, and 31-29 in a one hour and 48-minute contest. Set 3 was a major test for the Cool Smashers, who overcame a 14-23 deficit to complete the sweep.
Saturday’s win also marked Erica Staunton’s first taste of the rivalry. The Cool Smashers’ 23-year-old import excelled in her Creamline-Choco Mucho debut after scoring a game-high 19 points.
Understandably, Erica was left amazed by Saturday’s sea of pink and purple.
“That was like hands down the most fun volleyball environment I’ve ever been a part of. So I knew coming into it that there were going to be a lot of fans, there were going to be a lot of eyes watching,” said Erica, a former NCAA Division I player with Northeastern University and University of Georgia.
“But I kind of just wanted to focus on enjoying it, because you never know if I’m ever going to play in a crowd like that again. So just really enjoying the moment.”
Erica’s debut also came at a perfect time. After all, hearing about Creamline’s fanbase and success initially felt “a little bit daunting” when she first arrived two months ago. Being a first-time professional, the 23-year-old felt a little bit pressured.
But as she says, Creamline is the “best program” she could have joined for a high-pressure environment.
“One of the first things they said to me was just they have no added pressure. Creamline just plays. They want to keep it fun. They want to keep it light. And so there’s a reason why so many people love Creamline, so many fans love Creamline, and why they’re so successful,” she admits.
“So I came into a program that just really made sure to emphasize that they’re putting no extra pressure on me and to just go out there, have fun, enjoy the moment, enjoy being with my teammates. So that’s what I’ve focused on the past couple months.”
But pressure may still creep in during gametime. So against the Flying Titans, Erica called back to her Georgia roots . Non-verbatim, she cited one of her coaches’ philosophies: “Play for the two, not for the 30,000”.
“So basically, you’re playing the same game, whether it’s your two best friends just watching you in the gym and you’re playing loose, playing to have fun. You’re playing the same game as if you’d be playing in front of 30,000 people,” she explained.
“So that kind of helped settle the nerves a little bit. And then just really embracing the number of fans that are here that love Choco Mucho and Creamline. It’s just honestly incredible the amount of people that love volleyball in the Philippines.”
Semis-bound
Erica Staunton’s Creamline-Choco Mucho debut is a welcome sign for the Cool Smashers. As they head into the knockout quarterfinals, it’s clear that she can remain composed under such circumstances.
But as Erica aced her own test, so did the whole team. In overcoming a nine-point deficit, it was also a timely showing of Creamline’s own team composure.
“Na-test na namin individual [character] kasi mga seniors na rin ‘yung nasa loob. Pero ‘yung as a team, ‘yun ‘yung hinahanap talaga namin. Yung character as a team. So lumabas naman ngayon. Sana magpatuloy pa hanggang sa quarterfinals din para maging maganda ‘yung mga laro namin,” said head coach Sherwin Meneses.
Banner image courtesy of the Premier Volleyball League.