Jema Galanza is ready to bring all the skills and knowledge she gained with Alas Pilipinas into Creamline’s pursuit of a grand slam in the 2024 Premier Volleyball League Invitational Conference.
“Siguro, kapag kailangan ni coach, kailangan ready and ready physically, mentally… Ready ako, and lahat ng mga natutunan ko po sa Alas, i-aapply ko po,” said Galanza.
After missing the entire Reinforced Conference and the first two games of the Invitationals, Galanza was finally cleared to suit up for the Cool Smashers last Monday.
However, she opted to sit out that game.
Instead, the former league MVP eventually made her much-anticipated return to Creamline on Wednesday afternoon. And despite playing only in the last two sets, Galanza made an immediate impact.
Her performance led the Cool Smashers to a dominant 25-15, 25-13, 25-19 victory over Farm Fresh at the Philsports Arena.
She finished with a game-high 13 points on 11 attacks and two blocks, helping Creamline complete its sweep of the Invitational Conference preliminaries.
(C) PVL Images
Galanza emphasized that the team’s focus now is on resting and preparing for the championship match.
“Siyempre ngayon muna, nagpapasalamat kami sa team, siyempre kay Lord na natapos ‘yung game ngayon nang maganda, malinis, and maayos – maaga natapos,” said the former Adamson star.
She went on, “So ngayon, kailangan lang namin magpahinga muna, maka-recover talaga. Kasi ‘yun nga tomorrow, importante talaga and walang time para makapag-prepare.
“So ‘yun, recovery lang tapos kanya-kanya naman po kaming nag-i-scout. Hihintayin, papanoorin namin ‘yung game na ‘to (Kurashiki-Cignal) kung sino ‘yung makakalaban tomorrow.”
The 27-year-old pride of San Pedro, Laguna, mentioned that her return to the squad required minimal adjustments after months of watching from the sidelines.
“Siyempre happy po na nakabalik ulit sa Creamline. ‘Yung adjustment naman po siguro hindi naman na sobrang mag-aadjust kasi palagi naman namin po ginagawa ‘yung trainings namin, ‘yung sistema naman po hindi na bago.”
