By Will Imperial
Denden Lazaro-Revilla is on the verge of a thrilling reunion with former college teammate and close friend Alyssa Valdez as they gear up for the 2024 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) season wearing the Creamline jersey.
The 32-year-old defensive ace, who last played alongside Valdez during the 2017 Asian Women’s Volleyball Championship, created a buzz with a surprise move to Creamline after a successful stint with the Cool Smashers in the Second All-Filipino Conference, where they secured the title by sweeping Choco Mucho in the finals.
Expressing her excitement, Lazaro-Revilla reflected on the five years spent alongside Valdez in various national team stints. She emphasized Valdez’s relentless hard work and love for the game, which shines through in every match and season.
Now, the duo is reunited on the same side, and Lazaro-Revilla envisions their partnership leading to a championship, reminiscent of their glory days.
“I’m really excited to be with her on the court on the same team, and hopefully, mag-translate yun into a championship,” shared Revilla, who, during their time at Ateneo, secured two UAAP championships with Valdez.
Lazaro-Revilla stays grounded, emphasizing her commitment to adapting to head coach Sherwin Meneses’ system. Focused on being a solid contributor for the Cool Smashers in their title-defense bid during the season-opening All-Filipino Conference, she recognizes the importance of smoothly adjusting to the team dynamics.
“Preparations for the upcoming conference, yes, it is a short time lang, less than two months? But we’ve been going hard on training, but at the same time, alam nila coach Sherwin (Meneses) kung paano i-pace yung mga tao, so yeah, training’s coming along great, and preparations are good,” remarked Revilla.
She also disclosed her primary goals for the season, underscoring the importance of contributing effectively in whatever role she is assigned and maintaining peak health throughout the conference and the entire year.
As Lazaro-Revilla and Valdez prepare for their much-anticipated reunion, Creamline fans are filled with anticipation, optimistic that the combination of their skills and camaraderie will once again propel the Cool Smashers to volleyball glory.
