Alas Pilipinas captain Jia De Guzman will be going back to her long-time PVL club Creamline after national team duties.
Jia De Guzman is headed back to PVL powerhouse Creamline Cool Smashers after spending two years with the Denso Airybees in Japan, but clarified that she will still be focusing on Alas Pilipinas at the moment.
During the national team’s guesting at the weekly Philippine Sportswriters Association forum at the Philippine Sports Commission in Manila, De Guzman confirmed that she will be returning to the Cool Smashers.
De Guzman won six championships with Creamline and last played for the team in 2023, winning Finals MVP in the 1st All-Filipino Conference.
Jia signed as an Asian import for the Denso Airybees for the 2023-24 V1 season in Japan. In August 2024, Denso renewed her contract for another season in the rebranded SV.League.
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“Of course, I’m going back to Creamline but I went to a team also that knows that I have responsibilities also for the flag,” De Guzman said.
“So right now, I’m very grateful because they’re allowing me to focus entirely on Alas Pilipinas because we know that we have a responsibility to the country also so I’m very grateful sa Creamline,” she added.
During her time in Japan, she won a championship with the Airybees in the 2023-24 Japan V.League Division 1 Women V.Cup.
She also nabbed a silver medal at the 72nd Kurowashiki All Japan Volleyball Tournament also with Denso.
But first, De Guzman remains zeroed in with the national team, with Alas Pilipinas set for action in the VTV Cup back in Vietnam later this month.
De Guzman recently won the Best Setter award at the AVC Nations Cup in Hanoi, where the team also won a historic silver medal.
[READ: Alas Pilipinas captain Jia De Guzman repeats as AVC Nations Cup Best Setter]
Apart from the VTV Cup, Alas is also expected to compete in the SEA V.League and the Southeast Asian Games later this year.