HARDENED by international competition and having led the Alas Pilipinas national team in numerous battles, Jia de Guzman is no stranger to high-pressure plays and expectations.
De Guzman returned in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) in the 2026 All-Filipino Conference after a two and a half years and suited up for the league’s 10-time champion Creamline.
In her first game back with the Cool Smashers, she was welcomed rudely by PLDT’s Savi Davison who posted a triple-double 26 points, 11 excellent digs and 10 excellent receptions.
Creamline, however, bounced back against sister team Choco Mucho and survived a four-set clash, 27-25, 17-25, 25-21, 25-15, for its first win last Tuesday.
De Guzman put up 20 excellent sets and added eight points in offense — allowing four Creamline hitters to score in double digits against Choco Mucho.
Bernadeth Pons led the scoring with 19 points while Pangs Panaga added 12 points and Tots Carlos and Jema Galanza chipped in 11 points apiece.
De Guzman said that the Cool Smashers are still working on their team chemistry.
“I think individually, we are very skilled,” the 30-year-old playmaker said.
“It’s just a matter of putting that together so it becomes cohesive, so that when we’re on the court, we know exactly how each of us will move. I think that’s what we’re trying to figure out right now.”
De Guzman was responsible for Creamline’s six out of 10 titles in the league since the franchise’s first championship in the 2018 Reinforced Conference.
Her last championship with Creamline was in the 2023 First All-Filipino Conference. After the tournament she took her talents to Japan with the Denso Airy Bees and played for two full seasons.
In 2025, she returned to the Philippines and focused on her national team duties, propelling the national women’s volleyball team to a historic silver medal finish in the 2025 AVC Women’s Cup, followed by a fourth place finish in the 2025 Southeast Asian Games in Thailand.
Now, she is making adjustments with the Cool Smashers in the PVL.
“We’re doubling our efforts on communication. You could see how we performed in the first game; that’s where our lapses in communication really showed,” she said.
“We really worked on that this week coming into the game, and we still have much more to work on heading into the next one.”
The decorated setter, meanwhile, admitted that she missed playing in front of the Creamline fans.
“I’m so happy because the last time I played at MOA was back in 2023. Walking into the arena earlier felt so surreal. Hearing the cheers for both sides for every single point really fires me up and makes all the exhaustion disappear,” she said.
Creamline (1-1) looks to pick up its second win when it faces ZUS Coffee (0-2) on Tuesday, Feb. 17, at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.