LAOAG, ILOCOS NORTE — Creamline's good thing came to an end after Chery Tiggo sisters Jaja Santiago and Dindin Santiago-Manabat halted the Cool Smashers' two-year reign in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Open Conference.
Jia Morado knew that her Philippine women’s volleyball teammates Jaja and Dindin would take matters into their own hands in a do-or-die Finals Game 3.
But the six-time PVL Best Setter admitted the bigger hearts of the Crossovers prevailed over the valiant effort of the Cool Smashers after a five-set collapse on Friday at the PCV Socio-Civic and Cultural Center in Bacarra.
“Si Jaja naman lagi naman siyang maasahan whether kami yung magkakampi sa court or kami yung magkalaban alam ko na pupuntos siya at pupuntos. She was really hard to stop talaga,” said Morado shortly after the Game 3 loss.
“We could see yung passion din nilang magkapatid sa laro but we know na we gave them a good fight naman.”
Jia Morado gets a consolation after being named Best Setter.
Despite settling for silver, the Creamline playmaker remained proud of her teammates for fulfilling the PVL bubble happy and injury and Covid-19 free after all their sacrifices.
“No matter what happened, we gave it our all. We have to give it to Chery din naman, tinrabaho naman talaga nila even before they've been playing a lot of games,” Morado said.
“Right now, we're just really grateful na we made it through the season, we made it without any injuries.”
But for the former Ateneo star, this setback will only make Creamline better for a possible second bubble conference in Manila late this year.
“There's always next time and there's always a time to get better,” Morado said.
That’s why Morado and the Cool Smashers will make the most of their well-deserved rest to charge up for their redemption in the next tournament.
“We're finally getting a well-deserved rest na we've been waiting for kasi we have been training for months talaga for this,” she said. “The schedule is very difficult also for us, for any player playing in the PVL kasi araw-araw yung laro. Right now, we'll rest and then 'pag ka time to train na ulit then we'll train.”
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph