Jia Morado-de Guzman talks to The GAME about her upcoming comeback with the Creamline Cool Smashers.
After two seasons of refining her craft in Japan, Jia de Guzman confirmed during the Philippine Sportswriters Association forum last June that she would be returning to the Creamline Cool Smashers in the Premier Volleyball League.
As of writing, it remains to be seen whether or not Jia will be one of the Alas Pilipinas players suiting up in the ongoing PVL Invitational Conference, or if she will be sitting out until the Reinforced Conference this October.
Either way, Jia can’t help but feel a mix of nerves and excitement as she prepares for her comeback with the pink-and-white. Again, it has been two years since she last wore Creamline threads, and it’s not like the team hasn’t improved on its own, either.
“Super excited, but at the same time, a little bit nervous! Because it’s been two years since I’ve played with them!” Jia admitted to The GAME in a recent exclusive interview. “And Creamline is very big on system and familiarity, so of course, I want some time to try to reintegrate myself back into the system.
“And I totally respect that they’ve built something also with Kyle [Negrito], and even Ate Rhea [Dimaculangan-Villarete] and sila Mafe [Galanza]. So I don’t want to just plug and play myself, parang gusto ko ulit magkaroon ng time to get used to playing with them again.”
Creamline completed a historic Grand Slam amid Jia’s stay with the Denso Airybees, and it was in that stretch that they held their own against improving competition, even with their stars being out due to injuries and national team commitments.
Not to mention, Negrito has also blossomed into her own as the Cool Smashers’ lead setter, and it is something that Jia has been proud of while she supported them all the way in Japan.
“Especially when you’re always in the podium, parang it’s not easy to stay there every tournament. Like for example, ngayon, iba ‘yung nag-champion sa PVL on Tour, and Creamline got bronze though. Parang, you see that the level is rising, so you really cannot be complacent,” she said.
While Creamline did get bronze in the PVL on Tour and a silver medal in the 2024-25 All-Filipino Conference, those results still showed the team’s consistency, as it became part of their 18-straight podium finishes since 2017.
“So for Creamline to always try to find ways to level up while sticking to the system, that’s not an easy thing to do. So with our sport kasi, and this kind of scheduling, just showing up every day is already a big challenge. And Creamline did that, Kyle did that, and seeing that all the way from Japan, parang nakaka-proud din,” Jia said of the Cool Smashers’ growth.
While she’s eager to be part of that winning culture again, Jia reiterated that she also needs to re-acquaint herself with Sherwin Meneses’ system, especially with her crucial position as the pulse of their offense.
Sure, she wants to help the Cool Smashers bounce back after the PVL on Tour bronze and the 2024-25 All-Filipino Conference runner-up, but Jia knows better not to rush her return into the starting six either.
“Until that time na makakabalik talaga ako, na fully reintegrated to the team, I fully trust everyone in the team, especially sa leadership ni Ate Ly [Alyssa Valdez] and the seniors inside the team, and sila Coach Sherwin na makabawi din,” she said.
For now, she’s just excited at the thought of putting on that pink and white jersey again after two years of donning Denso’s red and green threads.
“It’s still the same, makukulit pa rin lahat ng tao,” Jia said in jest. “This is my eighth year with Creamline, and even though I was away for two years, syempre like social media, or we can still connect with each other even if we’re in different countries.”
“So it feels special, it always feels natural with Creamline kasi we’ve always treated everyone as a family and it’s always been my home. So very excited ako to go back and experience playing again in a pink jersey for the Creamline fans.”
Images courtesy of the Premier Volleyball League.
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