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Creamline setter Kyle Negrito continues to prove doubters wrong with consistent, championship-level excellence, peaking with her second PVL Best Setter award and a breakthrough Finals MVP honor
MANILA, Philippines – Slowly but surely, Kyle Negrito is carving her own identity in the PVL.
Once a much-criticized backup of Jia de Guzman — arguably the greatest setter in Philippine volleyball history — the 27-year-old Negrito evolved her game at her own pace while leading a loaded Creamline squad, and capped off a grueling 2024 Invitational Conference title run with her first Finals MVP award.
It was the perfect storybook ending to a productive tournament which also earned her a second Best Setter citation, as the Cool Smashers completed the elusive three-title “Grand Slam” season sweep with a thrilling five-set knockout final escape of the gutsy Cignal HD Spikers on Thursday, September 12.
Usually a reserved player with the occasional fiery outburst, Negrito showed a softer side after her name was called as Finals MVP, visibly fighting off tears as her teammates celebrated around her.
“My teammates really made my job a whole lot easier,” the former FEU standout said in Filipino after the championship celebration. “I could really fell that all them want a share of the offense. All of them want to kill the ball. As a setter, I just wanted to give the best plays I can, and then it’s all up to them.”
Infamous in local volleyball circles for what many perceived as glaring errors and other questionable playmaking decisions, Negrito kept her head down and put in the work, eventually rising as one of the PVL’s most steady players and the heart of a versatile, title-winning offense.
“My confidence never wavered because like what I always say, our advantage is the time we have spent playing together, so there’s no problem for whoever steps on the court,” she continued after steering the Grand Slam-clinching win with 25 excellent sets.
“Everyone knows their roles, we all deliver on those roles, and we all respect one another due to the sacrifices and hardships each one of us has gone through. Those are the ideas we’ve held onto this entire season. No matter what, this is still Creamline.”
With De Guzman now long separated from the Cool Smashers’ grind due to commitments with the Alas Pilipinas national team and the Japan SV.League, Negrito has fully embraced her leadership role in her mentor’s absence, and now, the work is clearly paying off.
Kyle Negrito will never be Jia de Guzman, and that’s okay. A winner like her doesn’t have to be under someone else’s shadow anyway. – Rappler.com
