Fan favorite import Erica Staunton is back for another go with the Creamline Cool Smashers in the upcoming AVC Champions’ League.
Erica Staunton is officially back for another tour of duty with the Creamline Cool Smashers, this time in the AVC Champions’ League scheduled for April 20 to 27 at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
Staunton most recently played for the Jakarta Pertamina Energi in the Indonesia Proliga, and will now be reinforcing a Creamline core that’s set to face some of Asia’s top club teams in the regional tilt.
“I’m excited, I’m excited to play with Creamline again. Of course I love playing with these girls and we’ll be facing different competition, so I’m happy to be back and to be playing volleyball with them again,” Staunton, who arrived in the Philippines last April 1, told reporters ahead of Creamline’s semifinals matchup against the Choco Mucho Flying Titans at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Staunton previously suited up for Creamline during the 2024 Reinforced and Invitational Conferences, where she teamed up with Bernadeth Pons and Michele Gumabao en route to the Cool Smashers’ historic Grand Slam feat.
The six-foot-one winger took home a Best Outside Spiker plum during the one-week Invitationals, and is expected to join a Creamline core that now includes fit-again wing spikers Alyssa Valdez and Tots Carlos.
“Again, I’m just really excited! I can’t wait to play with them again, since unfortunately I didn’t get to play much with them. They were just kind of coming back into practice when I was leaving, so I’m really excited to share the court with them,” Staunton said, with Carlos and Valdez sitting out much of the 2024 season to recover from their respective knee injuries.
Staunton also shared that returning to Creamline was a no-brainer, with talks of her return already underway even before the Cool Smashers were given a slot in the AVC Champions League.
“Honestly even when I was leaving, they were talking about me coming back, so I’ve been looking forward to [play with Creamline again] even before I left the Philippines for the first time. I’m grateful to be here and I’m excited to be back,”
Erica Staunton and the Creamline Cool Smashers will open their Champions’ League this April 20 when they face Jordan’s Al Nasr in Pool A of the preliminary round.
Images courtesy of the Premier Volleyball League.