HOME will always hold a special place in the heart of Alas Pilipinas team captain Jia de Guzman.
In her first two games back on home soil, the acclaimed playmaker returned with a seamless grace, showcasing her prowess despite the heightened pressure of national team duties. It marked her comeback to Philippine volleyball after a 10-month hiatus since her last appearance for the eight-time champion Creamline in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL).
Despite the added responsibility of national team captaincy, de Guzman remained unfazed, displaying a focused and determined demeanor from the outset. She led Alas to victory in their opening matches against Australia and India in the 2024 AVC Challenge Cup for Women, held at the iconic Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
READ: Jia de Guzman proves she's still the gold standard for setters
Nine exceptional sets in the tournament opener, followed by Player of the Game honors the next day, and multiple players reaching double figures in both games marked an impressive and dynamic beginning to de Guzman’s return to the national team.
To add to the triumph, nearly 9,000 enthusiastic fans attended Alas' first two days of competition, witnessing de Guzman's swift and strategic playmaking, which propelled the Philippines to the top of Pool A midway through the tournament's preliminary phase.
For the captain herself, even a trophy-laden overseas debut with Denso Airybees in the Japan V.League pales in comparison to the exhilaration of representing her country in front of a passionate home crowd.
“It feels great. Ako, kahit gaano katagal akong mawala sa Pilipinas, iba pa rin ‘yung maglaro dito sa home natin and with the home crowd. Sobrang thankful ako sa lahat ng fans, lahat ng sumusuporta sa’min from here, from home and from all around the world,” said de Guzman.
Jia’s young aces on the rise
Surpassing the pride that de Guzman feels in her Philippine comeback is the potential of Alas’ young aces.
With the combined attacking prowess of Angel Canino and Eya Laure, and the defensive strength embodied by Thea Gagate and Fifi Sharma, among others, de Guzman recognizes, from firsthand experience, that the future of the sport is secure in their capable hands.
“They bring a different kind of power, different kind of fire and energy inside the court na sobrang kaming seniors din nadadala talaga. It’s really a good mix of fire, energy, and composure inside the game especially we’re really working on our endgames right now,” said de Guzman.
'Kapitana Jia' beamed with pride as Alas pulled just enough tricks up its sleeve to counter the 'challenging' stand from the Indian team.
“What I'm really proud of is my team because everyone was really ready to step up and sobrang bilis naming naka-adjust in-game. India was very challenging, a little bit more challenging than Australia kasi na-scout na nila kami based on our game yesterday. I’m just really proud of this team.”
De Guzman added: “Paulit ulit ako ng sasabihin pero today kasi, our main focus talaga was in-game adjustments. We’re going up against teams na hindi pa namin nakakalaban before. We’ve only seen them in videos so iba pa rin ‘yung nagvi-viewing kayo.
“Iba pa rin ‘yung nakakalaban niyo sila sa court because the other teams are also adjusting based on how we’re playing so thankfully, our team naman is nakaka-adjust kaagad.”
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