Bea De Leon admitted that she felt like a rookie once again when she joined Creamline’s training session for the first time since her blockbuster transfer to the Premier Volleyball League powerhouse squad.
But the pressure of living up to expectations and the challenge of adapting to a new system are the things that excite the middle blocker the most with just a little over a month before the 2024 season begins on 17 February.
“Honestly, for me, coming into the pros I feel like I haven’t really proven anything in this league. To me, I don’t see myself as like me coming into Creamline (to give an immediate impact). It’s more of me coming in with a lot of room to learn,” De Leon said in a TV interview on CNN Philippines Sports Desk.
“I feel like I’m a rookie again here. These (Creamline teammates) are veterans.”
De Leon along with libero Denden Lazaro-Revilla signed with the Cool Smashers after their contracts with Creamline’s sister team expired last month.
The 27-year-old Ateneo de Manila University product and former national team player began training with the team last Tuesday.
“I’m really just trying to get a grasp of everything now. I haven’t been fully taught the system. (Just) little by little. I think we’re doing it one by one,” the two-time University Athletic Association of the Philippines champion said.
De Leon is expected to plug the spot left by 2022 Invitational Conference Finals Most Valuable Player Ced Domingo, who has transferred to Akari.
For now, the 5-foot-11 frontliner is slowly absorbing the system of head coach Sherwin Meneses.
“So with the little parts I’ve known, I’ve learned this past few days, there are similarities, of course. So, those are easy to get obviously. But there are some that take a while for me to get used to,” she said.
“Volleyball is very situational, some things for sure will take time. Hopefully, we’ll get there. There’s only a month before the next conference.”
De Leon added that she also has to double her effort to get back in top form and regain her confidence after seeing limited action the past season with Choco Mucho, who bowed to Creamline in the season-ending 2nd All-Filipino Conference last month.
“The amount of work that I need to catch up on is a lot. But I do like that pressure and I believe I need that kind of pressure again to push myself and to be in that environment also,” De Leon said.
“I’m coming in here to learn from all of them because they’re a champion team. They’re the veterans, not me. I just want to take all of it in, the system, what they can teach me, how I can grow even more. These expectations are very much outside for me, I have my own. I believe my teammates are aware of that also.”
“I’m really excited. Hopefully, I catch on really quick,” she added.
The PVL will open the season with the staging of the All-Filipino Conference.
