Erica Staunton is back with Creamline, as announced by the team on Thursday afternoon, and will reinforce the Cool Smashers for the upcoming 2025 AVC Women's Champions League.
The 24-year-old American outside hitter played a crucial role in Creamline's Grand Slam campaign last year, helping the team secure the coveted Reinforced Conference title during the 2024 Premier Volleyball League season.
After her successful stint in the PVL, Staunton joined Jakarta Pertamina Enduro in Indonesia before returning to the Philippines to aid Creamline in their debut international appearance this year.
Creamline expressed their excitement in a Facebook post: "Sobrang good vibes dahil may nagbabalik na GV-kada for AVC 2025 Women’s Champions League!"
"Welcome back Erica, sobrang saya at super excited na kaming makita ka ulit sa court with the Creamline Cool Smashers."
In a prior interview, Cool Smashers head coach Sherwin Meneses mentioned the team's strong desire to bring Staunton back for the AVC Champions League. Creamline is placed in Pool A, alongside Zhetysu VC of Kazakhstan and Al-Nassr Club of Jordan.
"Siyempre, number one diyan talagang winowork namin si Erica. Yung iba, wala pa naman. Naka-focus kasi kami sa PVL ngayon. So hopefully makakuha ng mas magandang reinforcement," said Meneses.
Creamline still has the option to sign two additional imports for the international tournament, which will take place at the Philsports Arena from April 20 to 27.
Currently, Creamline and Petro Gazz are battling for a spot in the finals of the 2024-25 PVL All-Filipino Conference, while PLDT has already been eliminated in the quarterfinals.
Both the Angels and the High Speed Hitters have yet to announce their respective imports for the AVC Champions League.
