JIA de Guzman gave Creamline a brief scare at the worst possible time.
With the Cool Smashers locked in a tight fifth-set battle against Cignal and trailing 2-3, the veteran playmaker slipped on a dig attempt and had to be taken out of the match.
The eight-time PVL best setter did not return, leaving Creamline to finish off the decider without its floor general in what turned out to be a gritty five-set win that clinched a qualifying round berth in the 2026 PVL All-Filipino Conference.
After the match, however, de Guzman quickly eased concerns.
“I’m okay,” she told reporters after the game.
“It was quite a scare. It was just a bad slip, pero we wanted to be a little more safe moving forward kasi actually mahaba pa ‘yung season.”
READ: Creamline outlasts Cignal in 5-set classic, books PVL qualifying spot
Rather than risk further injury, the Cool Smashers opted to lean on their depth, with de Guzman expressing full confidence in the players who stepped in.
“Tiwala na nun kami sa bench and malaki din yung tiwala ko kay Kyle [Negrito]. I felt like she could carry that fifth set to the end. And they did. I’m super proud,” she added.
Creamline held its ground down the stretch, weathering a furious Cignal fightback to secure one of the last spots in the qualifying round.
For de Guzman, the immediate focus now shifts to recovery and evaluation.
“We’re just going to observe this overnight. We’ll try to get a check tomorrow and I’ll send updates. Hopefully, wala,” she said.
The timing, at least, works in Creamline’s favor.
“Thankfully, nanalo kasi sa Thursday pa ‘yung next game namin, so I have time.”
For now, the early signs are reassuring. And for the Cool Smashers, that may be just as important as the win itself.
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