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Creamline Cool Smashers’ Erica Staunton in the PVL semifinals game against Cignal HD Spikers. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — Erica Staunton believes she has grown a lot as a player and formed a strong bond with the Creamline Cool Smashers in her first pro stint in the PVL.

From a losing PVL debut, Staunton made sure to have a different outcome in the semifinals setting a new career-high 38 points to will the Cool Smashers back from two sets down to the Reinforced Conference final after five years with a 20-25, 26-28, 25-18, 27-25, 15-13 win over the Cignal HD Spikers on Saturday.

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“I think we found our groove after that first game. And we were just able to figure out how to work together. What makes Creamline special is, we’re not focused on one person. We’re not just one person, offensive heavy,” said Staunton after pouring in 36 kills, a block, and an ace. 

READ: PVL: Staying calm, having fun help bring the best out of Staunton

“Kyle (Negrito) does a great job of distributing the ball. I think that all of our hitters are threats. And that’s something that puts a lot of pressure on the other teams. I remember the first practice back. I think we focused on just the simple balls, getting Kyle a good pass so that she can get our middles involved, run the offense pin to pin, and just making sure that we have all of our hitters involved in our offense,” she added.

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The American import out of the University of Georgia, who have formed a potent combo with MVP candidate Bernadeth Pons and Michele Gumabao, is looking to help Creamline end a six-year title drought in the import-laden conference amid the absence of stars Alyssa Valdez, Jema Galanza, and Tots Carlos.

Creamline Cool Smashers celebrate a point against Cignal HD Spikers in the PVL Reinforced Conference semifinals. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIREr.net

Gumabao also believes that Staunton was the right reinforcement for Creamline after setting a gold medal game against unbeaten Akari on Monday at Smart Araneta Coliseum despite the challenges of having a depleted roster. 

“She does her best to contribute, and she is also happy when she plays and she has that good vibes that we always need to be part of the Creamline Cool Smashers, and she has the heart and that’s what we enjoy about her playing inside the court. She never gives up, She’s always there to help the team, and that’s what Creamline is all about, it’s really the collective effort of the whole team,” said Gumabao, who contributed 10 points.

READ: PVL: Lots of room for improvement for Erica Staunton, Creamline

“We’re just happy that even as an import, she has that mentality because I think we’re so used to like being imports that they want to do everything, and even though they can, I know she can, but she also trusts us as locals to also help her do her job. And that’s the most important thing. She is a leader no matter how young she is and she really does her best to also help us learn from her.”

The 22-year-old import is charging every game to experience with the PVL as her first pro and overseas stint, relishing her semifinal showdown against Cignal’s Venezuelan spiker MJ Perez, who had 32 points, 18 receptions, and 11 digs.

“She is an incredible player. And I think even scout-watching them, you can tell how much she cares, and how much she gets along with her team, and how really invested that she was. I love my team so much, it was nice to see that. I think watching the film, I was like, wow, she puts her heart into this, and she is very experienced. She’s a really great player. I have a lot of respect for her, and I think I learned a lot from her as well,” said Staunton.

“She’s resilient. I think she stayed aggressive the entire game, she mixed up a lot of her shots which was something that I think I can still work on as a player.”

Staunton is determined to deliver Creamline’s first Reinforced crown since 2018 in another do-or-die game against the unbeaten top seed Akari.