AFTER missing the last two seasons of the Premier Volleyball League (PVL), decorated setter Jia Morado-de Guzman will approach the All-Filipino Conference season with a light-hearted demeanor, not pressured at all to bring Creamline to greatness again.
The eight-time PVL Best Setter is set to make a comeback with Creamline where she played for three years before she took a breather.
Without the prized setter, the Cool Smashers struggled in 2025 after a Grand Slam finish in 2024.
Creamline’s streak of 19 podium finishes in the league also ended last year after falling short against the defunct Petro Gazz Angels in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Reinforced Conference.
“The team isn’t putting any pressure on me at all. They also know that I’m just making my way back,” Morado-de Guzman said.
“Although I have international experience, it’s a different challenge altogether to integrate that into the Creamline system and make it work alongside our local players,” she added.
Morado-de Guzman sat out the Reinforced Conference as she prioritized her national team duties with Alas Pilipinas. Now, she’s back and all eyes will be on her when the 2026 PVL season begins.
“We’ll see. But for now, we’re really taking it one day at a time. The whole team — especially those of us just returning from injury, like [Bernadeth] Pons and our new additions — everyone is just trying to find their way and find their groove playing together,” she said.
Creamline’s star-gunner Jema Galanza was also sidelined in 2025, while PVL Most Valuable Players Tots Carlos and Alyssa Valdez were limited in action as they both just recovered from their injuries.
Pons, an all-around player, also missed the 2025 season as she focused on her beach volleyball national team duties, where she and Sisi Rondina copped the country’s historic Southeast Asian Games gold medal.
Out of Creamline’s league-best 10 championships, Morado-de Guzman shared six of it, where she orchestrated and led the plays for the team.
“Actually, I’ve been away from the PVL for almost three years now, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t watching the other teams evolve during that time,” she said.
“I’m really excited to see how much the PVL has changed, and I’d love to embrace the challenge — so we’re all very excited to play.” Creamline will begin its 2026 PVL All-Filipino Conference campaign against PLDT on Feb. 14 at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.