Jema Galanza sticks to the positives for her and Creamline despite starting their conference with a loss to PLDT.
It wasn’t the most ideal way for Jema Galanza to make her comeback with the Creamline Cool Smashers.
Creamline on Thursday fell to the PLDT High Speed Hitters in straight sets, 25-22, 25-17, 25-23, spoiling the return of Galanza and national team standouts Jia de Guzman and Bernadeth Pons.
Playing in her first game after a four-month layoff, the former Finals Most Valuable Player couldn’t hide her disappointment, knowing that she and Creamline came up short against the High Speed Hitters.
“Syempre kulang. I mean alam ko naman ‘yung tinraining ko buong January. Kinulang din talaga and siguro may excitement na may kaba. Alam mo ‘yun? Ngayon lang ako nakabalik and nakakalungkot lang na kinulang,” she lamented.
Still, it was a welcome return for Galanza, who missed the 2025 Reinforced Conference to recover from a career-threatening left leg injury. While her condition initially led to uncertainty, the ace spiker shared that her recovery timeline was actually quicker than expected.
“Sabi naman ng doctor after one month [October] lang na naka-boot, doon na ako pwede makapagbuhat or makapagbuhat or makapag-exercise na makaka-move na ‘yung [affected] part ng injury ko,” she said.
“After noon, two months na, pwede na ako makasabay. Actually, November last year, pwede na ako makahabol ng season, pero ayun nga, may mga changes lang sa positioning ng coaches.”
Though she’s already fit to play, Galanza admitted her need to re-adjust to in-game situations after spending extended time on the sidelines.
“Actually wala naman pressure or wala naman akong iniisip talaga. Pero siguro ‘yung sanay lang ba? Or kung papaano ka maglalaro sa loob ng court, kasi four months din ako hindi nakapaglaro, so ang tagal ko rin hindi na-feel ‘yung pressure at paglalaro. So siguro naninibago lang,” she said.
If there is anything that Jema Galanza and Creamline can build upon, it’s the luxury of fielding a complete roster for the season-ending conference, especially with the championship-winning chemistry they’ve established over the years.
“Noong start ng training nae-excite nga lahat na kumpleto na kami, ganyan. Tapos hindi nga namin alam kung paano ‘yung mangyayari o ano ‘yung itatakbo ng team namin,” reflected Galanza, with Creamline being affected by key adjustments in recent conferences.
“Ngayong game naman, sad talaga na kinulang kami. Pero alam din namin na ang tagal na namin magkakasama, magkakakilala, so alam din namin na makakabawi kami sa mga susunod na games.”
Images courtesy of the Premier Volleyball League.
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