Heart.
Jaja Santiago-Minowa needed only one word to describe her short but meaningful stay with Creamline, bringing her hands together to form one as she smiled.
It was a fitting answer for a player whose latest chapter brought her back to the Premier Volleyball League — the heart of Philippine volleyball — this time not as an opponent, but as part of the family.
And for Minowa, that was exactly what Creamline became: family.
“I love them. I love how they supported me; I love how they shared their knowledge sa volleyball,” said the 30-year-old middle blocker, who once stood as a thorn in the side of the very team she now cherishes.
Even though her short homecoming did not end the way she wanted, Minowa chose to look beyond the disappointment. She feels grateful for the experience and the lessons, but most of all, the bond she formed with her newfound sisters.
“I love how connected the team is, even though we lost,” said the former Open Conference MVP on Tuesday night after the Cool Smashers fell to PLDT in four sets in the bronze medal match at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
“Makikita mo talaga ’yung positive vibes sa lahat, na it’s okay. We lost. I know it’s a tough loss, like we cannot get it, we cannot accept it right now, but we will move forward and fight again and learn from this,” she added.
A HOMECOMING
(C) PVL Images
More than simply returning to where it all began, the homecoming was exactly what Minowa needed.
After spending the past several years playing in Japan, she admitted there were times when it was difficult to gauge just how much she had grown as a player — what she had improved on, what had changed, and where she stood compared to the player she once was.
Coming back to the PVL, however, gave her a chance to see those changes for herself.
Somewhere between the practices, the games, and the short time spent with Creamline, the 30-year-old middle blocker found it: a clearer picture of the player she had become.
“Playing in Japan, I think parang laging ang tataas ng kasama mo… I mean dito rin, pero it’s just that hindi mo alam kung nasaan ka na. Hindi mo alam kung natututo ka pa ba,” Minowa shared.
That clarity could not have come at a better time, with another new chapter waiting on the horizon.
Minowa is set to embark on another challenge with the San Francisco Signal in LOVB, making her brief return to the PVL all the more meaningful as she prepares to take the next step in her career.
“And playing here, I think mas nakukuha ko ’yung confidence ko sa paglalaro. And going to San Francisco, I’m kinda scared because I don’t know kung ano ’yung magiging performance ko, kung ano ’yung made-deliver sa team, ’yung mabibigay ko for the team,” said Minowa, who won the 2024–25 SV.League with the Osaka Marvelous.
“But getting the confidence playing back (here), I know that I’m ready; I’m in good condition. I think isa ko lang din na madadala is what we got—the challenge, the learnings from the PVL Invitational, and from my teammates. I think ’yun ’yung madadala ko, and ’yung good memories,” she continued.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
As short as her time with the Cool Smashers was, it was far from a meaningless detour.
If anything, the abrupt ending only left Minowa with a feeling that there was more to be done.
She came to Creamline with a clear goal: to help the team win. And while she found the confidence and connection she was looking for, the one thing she could not take with her was the championship.
“Although hindi man kami pinalad today, this conference, I know God has a plan for the team, for us, and sabi nga namin, it’s a good learning. This loss is not… Hindi siya ‘yung magde-define sa amin as Creamline,” said the two-time PVL Best Middle Blocker.
Perhaps that is why, despite everything she gained from her homecoming, there remains a lingering sense of unfinished business.
For now, Minowa has another chapter to write in San Francisco.
But somewhere down the road, she hopes there will be another chance to return to the PVL — perhaps with her new family — and finish what this short homecoming could not.
“For now, I think I wanna focus one by one, step by step. I need to perform first in San Francisco, and after that, we’ll see if I go back here. Creamline, they’re my family right now. I feel like I have unfinished business with them,” she said.
“So maybe, maybe.”
