Alyssa cherishes reunion with Jia
Alta Sports3 months ago ยท 293 views
Photo: PVL
By Rachel Gonzales
Back together at the helm of Creamline offense, Alyssa Valdez is relishing her long-awaited reunion with setter Jia De Guzman as they steer the Cool Smashers in the Premier Volleyball League once more.
Valdez and De Guzman, former teammates at Ateneo Blue Eagles women's volleyball, won two UAAP titles together and have shared years of highs and lows on and off the court.
Photo: PVLNow reunited in Creamline colors, Valdez said their bond continues to fuel their drive after the Cool Smashers had a title-less 2025.
“There’s something different about us because of everything we went through together since college. We’ve built that ‘trauma bond’ over the years — the sacrifices we made playing volleyball weren’t easy,” Valdez said after scoring seven points off the bench in Creamline’s 22-25, 25-17, 25-16, 25-18 win over ZUS Coffee on Tuesday at the FilOil Centre.
“So it’s really nice to see her take command now, especially with what she wants to do for the team and how she wants to keep improving herself as a setter. As her teammate, I really appreciate that.”
De Guzman, an eight-time PVL Best Setter, recently returned to anchor Creamline’s offense after nearly three years away, playing for Denso Airybees in Japan and led Alas Pilipinas.
“I’m honestly very excited to keep practicing and training with her,” Valdez said of her longtime setter. “It’s been a while since we’ve played together, and practice just feels different when we’re complete.”
De Guzman delivered a rare 10-point performance against ZUS Coffee, tallying six kills, two aces, and two blocks on top of 25 excellent sets to help Creamline improve to 2-1 with back-to-back wins.
Despite the momentum, De Guzman admitted the team is still working on rebuilding chemistry, especially with fellow returning spikers Bernadeth Pons and Jema Galanza.
“Little by little, we’re improving. From the first game to the second and now today, the things we struggled with are getting better,” she said.
“The No. 1 thing is communication, especially in games like this where our opponents are also preparing hard against us.”
The Alas captain seeks to continue rediscovering that championship connection with Valdez and the Cool Smashers as their campaign goes on.
“Personally, I don’t think we’re there yet. This isn’t our best version yet,” she added.
“There are still times when we put ourselves in tough situations that we could’ve avoided. That’s something we’re trying to fix as a team.”
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