Grateful Tots Carlos repays Creamline’s Korea tryouts blessing with stellar comeback

MANILA, Philippines – Just before the crack of dawn on Thursday, May 2, Creamline star Tots Carlos returned home to the Philippines after wrapping up a three-day tryout stint and Asian Quota draft with the Korean V. League (KVL) and overall organizer, the Korean Volleyball Federation (KOVO).

Having missed the first game of the 2024 All-Filipino semifinals, where her Cool Smashers lost in a historic reverse sweep to sister team Choco Mucho, the three-time MVP made it a point to quickly make up for lost time and suit up for another crucial semis battle with rival Petro Gazz that same Thursday afternoon.

Her much-needed presence worked wonders, as Creamline staved off possible elimination by the skin of its teeth in a thrillingly heated four-set escape, 27-25, 23-25, 27-25, 25-23, with all frames decided by the two-point minimum.

Likely exhausted from going through tryouts, enduring the thought of going undrafted in the KVL, and immediately returning home for a title defense-defining match, Carlos was simply grateful that her day ended on a positive note.

“It was my choice to go there, and I’m grateful enough, really grateful for the management to really let me grab that opportunity,” she said after supporting Jema Galanza’s 23-point outing with a 21-point game.

“I’m grateful for my coaches and my teammates that I didn’t hear a single bad thing even though I missed one game.”

Now carrying a 1-1 record in the round-robin semifinals to mirror Petro Gazz, Creamline blew the gates wide open for a vast array of possibilities even with just one game left against Chery Tiggo on Sunday, May 5.

Had the Creamline fallen to a 0-2 hole, a subsequent Chery Tiggo loss could have meant that Petro Gazz and Choco Mucho cruised to the finals with similar 2-0 records and eliminated all chances of any other team catching up.

With a momentous Korea trip and a Creamline win now in her back pocket, a reinvigorated Carlos is raring to once again give her all and show the world why she deserves a shot beyond the Philippine volleyball landscape.

“This is very personal for me, for me to go there and be allowed to do so. It’s a core memory for my life,” she continued. “Everything that happened hasn’t really sunk in yet, so I’m taking one thing at a time, and just deal with what’s in front of me.”

“At the end of the day, all this is just volleyball. This is what I do, what I enjoy to do, and that will always be my motivation.” – Rappler.com