MANILA, Philippines – Melissa Gohing and Michele Gumabao have joined forces with Alyssa Valdez, Jia Morado and Risa Sato to form Creamline’s “super team” in the Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference tentatively set on April 1.
Gohing amicably parted ways with Pocari Sweat, a team she played for five years and helped win three PVL championships, after her contract expired at the end of last year while Gumabao will jump from a Cocolife squad that wound up a surprise fourth in the Phl Superliga Grand Prix a year back.
Interestingly, Gohing and Gumabao are former teammates at La Salle in the UAAP Pocari for four years before the latter made the jump last season.
Now they’re back playing side by side again for a different team.
Gohing and Gumabao were just two of the three blue chip acquisitions by the Cool Smashers after plucking Sato from reigning Open Conference champion Bali Pure.
The three, along with Valdez, a four-time PVL MVP, reigning best setter Morado, and seasoned Rose Vargas, Pau Soriano and Cesca Racraquin, will form a stacked Tai Bundit-mentored Creamline squad that has emerged as the early title favorites with the PVL season still a couple of months away.
The recruiting coup was part of Creamline’s plan of snaring its very first title after finishing third place twice in last year’s Reinforced and Open Conferences.
Valdez has also committed to play the whole year for Creamline after missing several games a year ago.
Valdez played as an import for 3BB in Thailand and Attackline in Chinese Taipei while also committing most of her time for the national team that participated in the Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
