IN a sport where scorers and spikers are the stars, setters are mostly overlooked. But that changed Monday night after Jia de Guzman took the spotlight and got recognition as the country's best volleyball player.
The Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) named the Alas Pilipinas captain as Miss Volleyball for 2024 in its annual awards night held at The Manila Hotel.
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An eight-time PVL best setter with Creamline, de Guzman became the first setter and second non-scoring player since fellow national team skipper Dawn Macandili-Catindig (2017) to win the the award handed by sports scribes from print and online media.
De Guzman accepted her award remotely as she is currently in Japan playing In a professional league, one more sign that her talent can meet and pass the tough requirements of foreign competition.
Some may see her role as a mere complimentary to the more visible and exciting positions of her teammates, but De Guzman said she finds joy and satisfaction when she delivers a perfect set to make others score and then go on to help her team win the game.
“This is actually a dream come true for me because being a setter in volleyball and playing a non-scoring supporting role for my team, I've always found the most fulfillment in seeing my teammates, my spikers, shine,” said de Guzman.
She also would’ve never imagined how a non-scorer like her has now taken her talents overseas both as a national team captain and a pro player with Denso Airybees in the Japan SV.League.
“Along with a non-scoring position comes challenges, self-placed limitations, and even dreams that I thought I would never be able to achieve — dreams like playing as a setter-import in Japan and even receiving a distinctive award such as Miss Volleyball, so I have to thank all of you for this.”
De Guzman, in her speech, also took the occasion to explain why athletes do what they do and why they are willing to sacrifice their bodies to achieve their goals and why some of them are willing to be far from their families to test the limits of their skills.
“I believe it's in our hardest, lowest points that we see what matters most to us as people and as athletes,” de Guzman said.
“It's when we see why we do what we do. Why do we keep waking up at 4am every day? Why do we train twice, thrice, even more times every day? Why do we power through fatigue, exhaustion, and even injuries? And why do we keep playing even when we're far away from our families?
“Our why becomes our purpose. It gives us strength to power through even when things are hard, when things are painful, because it makes everything worth it.”
‘Miss Volleyball’s’ own purpose? Paving the way for Philippine volleyball’s future stars to have shining moments of their own.
“2025 will be a very important year for us in Alas Pilipinas. To share with you our why, our purpose, it is to take this privilege, do our best to inspire and open more doors for the next generation of volleyball athletes to come,” de Guzman said.
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