MANILA, Philippines —Philippine volleyball icon Alyssa Valdez remains thrilled that, years after her career-defining stint with the Ateneo Blue Eagles, she is still playing the sport she loves.
On the Premier Volleyball League’s (PVL) 10th anniversary, Valdez, who has been playing volleyball for nearly 20 years—sees her decade-long involvement in the league as a personal milestone.
“It’s a very, very huge milestone for me because, in my career, I never really thought I would still be playing this long after graduating from college. And I never imagined that I would enjoy and love volleyball this much even after 10 years or more,” she said after Creamline’s win over Akari on Saturday night at the SM Seaside Arena Cebu.
“I think the legacy… what we always practice in our Creamline team… I hope they see that when you enjoy doing what you love, everything will follow naturally—the wins and everything,” she added.
Valdez’s rise to stardom started with Ateneo as she guided the team to consecutive titles in 2014 and 2015, with her explosive back-row attacks and precise cross-court swings soon earning her the nicknames “The Phenom” and “Bagyong Baldo.”
In the professional ranks, Valdez has won all 11 championships with Creamline in the PVL.
The 33-year-old hitter was also nostalgic about playing for Cebu, recalling that the last time she played in the Queen City of the South was when she was in college.
“It’s so nice to be here in Cebu. It’s my first time playing in Cebu for the PVL. The last time I played here was still back in my Ateneo days… don’t even count how long ago that was.”
“I’m very, very happy with how the turnout of people turned out, and wow—we can keep coming back here again and again because it really feels like Cebu loves volleyball so much. So thank you, thank you so much to everyone who supported us.”
With over 19,000 spectators showing up for PVL’s opening day, Valdez did not anticipate that the league would fill the arena.
“We were talking about how coach (Sherwin Meneses) said it would be really cold inside tomorrow because it’s a new arena and everything. But when we stepped in, that’s when it sank in for us how many people there were, and how hot it already was. So we’re really overwhelmed too.”
“You know, at this point, after 10 years of playing in the PVL, it’s still overwhelming to be surrounded by this much support and love. We just want to say thank you to all the Cebuanos. We really hope you enjoyed the game tonight.”
With rumors of retirement circulating on social media, Valdez has one thing that she’s certain of—and that she’s still enjoying playing volleyball.
“Maybe as players, we’ll love our job even more and work even harder so that we can stay here longer, 10 years or more, or even 20 years or more, for all of us, and for the future generations of athletes and volleyball players.”
