PVL: Jia de Guzman glad to be back home with Creamline, puts premium on basic skills

MANILA — Creamline setter and Alas Pilipinas Women captain Jia de Guzman is grateful to be back home with her mother club in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL).

De Guzman finally returned after a long stint with the national team — with their most recent campaign being the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, where they finished ninth place.

“It’s great. I love the level that we’re playing. I love that siyempre I’m back home with Creamline. It’s always a joy to play with my teammates again,” said de Guzman.

Bringing the learnings she had from leading the national team on the international stage, de Guzman is putting the premium on basic skills.

“I think in international volleyball, one thing na napaka-importante talaga is pag-alaga sa basic skills, meaning ‘yung spike is the last thing na eh, but the first two touches, which is the serve and the receive,” said the eight-time PVL Best Setter.

“Grabe ‘yung paglagay ng mga kalaban namin internationally, ‘yung importansya doon sa dalawang skills na ‘yun,” she added.

“So that’s something na binibigyan din namin ng focus in Creamline kasi alam namin we can execute plays, but it’s easier to execute it if bigyan namin ng halaga ‘yung basics namin. Everyone is extra patient naman sa pag-aral ng skills na ‘yun.”

De Guzman is proud to see Alas players — who are seeing action internationally — go toe-to-toe in the domestic league.

“It’s great kasi hindi lang ako eh marami din tayong players in the PVL who are exposed internationally. So if you see ‘yung mga pahirapan na ginagawa ng mga Alas players sa isa’t isa pag sila yung nagkakalaban, nakakatuwa rin panoorin,” said the Cool Smashers playmaker.

In de Guzman’s return, Creamline has remained perfect in three games, the latest being a win over Zus Coffee, 25-19, 16-25, 26-24, 25-17, in the Siklab series of the PVL All-Filipino Conference on Saturday at the Filoil Centre in San Juan.