MANILA, Philippines – Creamline will have “no problem” transitioning into the post-Jia Morado-De Guzman era, its head coach said, as the Cool Smashers are set to defend their All-Filipino title starting October 15.
Morado-Guzman signed with the Denso Airybees last month.
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Creamline head coach Sherwin Meneses said that expect longtime setter Kyle Negrito to fill in the void left behind by Morado-Guzman.
“Negrito is there. She is a veteran setter, so she will be our main setter,” Meneses told reporters in Filipino.
“We will still have the same system. The difference will be seen in the actual game, depending on the play of Kyle,” he added.
While acknowledging the next-level play of Morado-Guzman, Meneses underscored that Negrito also has what it takes to fill up the multi-awarded setter’s shoes.
“Maybe, the talent of Jia cannot be replicated, but Kyle can bring the fight to every game. There will be no problems,” the coach said.
For her part, star Alyssa Valdez said that the team will have Negrito’s back as she transitions to the main setter role.
“We’re very confident in Kyle's performance. We’re gonna be here, supporting her. It’s an interesting conference for us, with a lot of adjustments. But, right now we’re very, very excited to play every game in this conference,” Valdez told reporters in a mix of English and Filipino.
“Us spikers, we help her and our coaches to execute what we do during our practices. And, aside from that, there will be no big adjustments because Kyle has been part of the team for the past five years,” she added.
“So, it’s just a matter of how we will perform during the games.”