JAJA Santiago will no longer be the Asian import of Saitama Ageo Medics, ending a five-year stint with the Japan V.League team.
The 6-foot-5 middle blocker, who is in the process of acquiring Japanese citizenship via naturalization, has decided to part ways with the Japan pro club, the team announced through a social media post on Saturday.
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“I have been with the Ageo team for five years. Five seasons is no joke. I have learned a lot. All of my first times in pro volleyball happened here,” she said.
"Unfortunately, it is with a heavy heart that I have decided to go out of my comfort zone and take risk and widen my perspective in my volleyball career.”
Santiago made history when she became the first Filipina spiker to become an import in Japan in 2018.
In her five years with the Japan club, she steered Aego Medics to championship in the 2021 V.Cup and a bronze finish in the 2019-2020 V.League season.
The former National University standout was also named as the Japan V. League Best Middle Blocker in 2022.
She was also named as part of the Best Six in her final season with Aego Medics in April before concluding her stint with the pro club with a fourth-place finish.
“I learned the discipline, the courage, the culture and definitely the heart of being a professional volleyball player. I want to thank the Ageo management, the coaches, the staff, my teammates and the fans. I am not where I am now without you. You inspire me to become a better athlete,” she said.
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