Creamline import Erica Stanton during a match against Chcoc Mucho in the PVL Reinforced Conference. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — Creamline transfer Erica Stanton enjoyed her first rivalry match against sister team Choco Mucho, calling it the “most fun volleyball environment” she’s been in in her career so far.
The American spiker battled hard in front of a crowd of 9,429 at the Mall of Asia Arena, leading Creamline to come back from 14-23 down in the third set to beat Choco Mucho 25-16, 25-19, 31-29 and book a spot in the quarterfinals of the 2024 PVL Reinforced Conference on Saturday night.
In her first overseas appearance since attending the University of Georgia and the most-attended volleyball match of her career, Stanton maintained her focus amid the excitement and thrilling atmosphere of the match, leading the Kool Smashers with 19 points.
Read: PVL: Cream Line ups Choco Mucho for playoff spot
Stanton will face Choco Mucho in his first Creamline match. #PVL2024 @INQUIRERSports pic.twitter.com/oyRu8YZDvq
— Lance Agcaoil (@LanceAgcaoilINQ) August 17, 2024
“That was definitely the most fun volleyball environment I’ve ever been a part of. Even before I played, I knew there would be a lot of fans and a lot of eyes on me. I just wanted to focus on having fun because I don’t know if I’ll be able to play in front of that crowd again, so I’m just trying to enjoy the moment,” said the 24-year-old spiker, who has been leading the cream line in the absence of Totz Carlos, Alyssa Valdes and Gemma Galantha.
Stanton used lessons he learned from his college coach to overcome the pressures of a sold-out crowd.
“My coach told me in my final year at Georgia, ‘You don’t play for 30,000 people, you play for two. You play the same game whether you’re in the gym with your two best friends watching or you’re just playing casually and having fun. You play the same game when you’re playing in front of 30,000 people. We play the game we love, regardless of how many people are watching,'” she said. “Those words helped me break the ice a little bit, and I was able to wholeheartedly welcome the number of fans who love Choco Mucho and Cream Line. The amount of people who love volleyball in the Philippines is truly unbelievable. It’s amazing.”
Stanton said he has already learned to embrace the difficult task of playing for one of the PVL’s most successful and fan-beloved clubs.
“Creamline is just about having fun and playing light-heartedly. That’s why so many people love Creamline, so many fans love it and why Creamline has been so successful. So, the program that I was in really emphasized not putting any extra pressure on me and just going out there and having fun, enjoying the moment and enjoying being with my teammates. So, that’s what I’ve been focusing on for the past few months,” said the young PVL addition.
Read: Erica Staunton finds her niche, and her cream line continues to grow
So when the Kool Smashers found themselves down nine points to the Flying Titans in the third set, Stanton knew they would find a way to fight back with teamwork.
“No matter how far behind we were, I think we always believed we could come back. We had faith in each other and in our team. I think we knew if we just kept our minds up and kept working on each point, we could come back,” she said. “I think we knew energy and momentum was going to be a big part of the comeback, so we kept that momentum and worked towards it, so just coming together and working on each point was probably the biggest thing.”
Creamline is tied with Cherry Tigo and PLDT for third place with a 5-2 record and hopes to improve its position before the knockout quarterfinals when it plays winless ZUS Coffee in the second round on Thursday at the Filoil Ecooil Center in San Juan City.
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