Despite back-to-back wins, Creamline is still chasing its peak form in the 2026 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference.
The Cool Smashers bounced back from their opening-day loss to PLDT, but they still encountered a few bumps along the way in their recent victories over Choco Mucho and ZUS Coffee.
Jia De Guzman admitted the team is still a work in progress.
“Despite our wins, we sometimes put ourselves in unnecessary tough situations,” she said, adding that the team is focused on improving its chemistry to play more cohesively.
That inconsistency was evident when they started flat against ZUS Coffee before taking control in the next three sets, cruising to a 22-25, 25-17, 25-16, 25-18 win that improved their record to 2-1.
(C) PVL Images
“Ako personally, hindi pa. Hindi pa ito yun,” said De Guzman, who returned to the squad to start the conference after nearly three years, during which she spent time with Denso Airybees in the Japan S.V. League and later with Alas Pilipinas.
“I think there are still a lot of times na we put ourselves in hard situations na hindi naman talaga dapat. Like coach said nga, maraming beses na yung effort talaga namin at yung kagustuhan naming manalo, nagdi-dictate kung ano yung nangyayari sa laro,” she added.
“And a lot of times, today and the past games, nagsa-stop kami. So, yun yung tina-try naming ayusin din as a team.”
The same applies to her own performance. The eight-time PVL Best Setter admitted she still experiences lapses in her game that she feels determined to improve as the tournament progresses.
De Guzman finished with 25 excellent sets to go along with 10 points built on six attacks, two kill blocks, and two service aces.
“I think, regarding my performance, I still see a lot of lapses. Maraming sitwasyon nga, like coach mentioned, na we could’ve controlled better, we made a lot of errors. Pero, thankfully, natuto kami and naihabol naman namin,” said De Guzman.
Despite the areas they are still working on, she remained proud of the team, highlighting the progress they have made and the resilience they continue to show on the court.
“But, as a team, I’m really proud of how we performed. Kasi, ito yung kinds of games na natututo kami gumalaw as one. Parang dito kami nagbi-build ng chemistry,” she said.
“Dito kami nakaka-face ng adversity and kung paano namin iha-handle talaga as one team. So, thankfully talaga, the win went our way.”
