Having been teammates in Alas Pilipinas, Galeries Tower rookie Lams Lamina gained a different perspective of her idol, Jia De Guzman, when she faced the Creamline setter across the net in the 2026 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference Siklab Series last Saturday.
Lamina admitted that her excitement had been building even before she arrived at the Filoil EcoOil Centre, eager to face one of her biggest idols after previously playing alongside De Guzman on the national team.
“Sobrang excited ako nung before pa lang talaga, before pa lang ako makapunta dito sa venue,” Lamina said.
The top overall pick of the 2026 PVL Draft relished the opportunity to go up against the eight-time Best Setter, viewing the matchup as another chance to learn from one of the players she has looked up to throughout her volleyball career.
(C) PVL Images
“And then, ayun, malaking bagay din po for me na makalaban si Ate Jia kasi marami po akong matututunan sa kanya at mas ma-motivate ako at ma-inspire ako,” said the two-time UAAP Best Setter.
“Malaking bagay po sa akin yung laro namin, every game, actually. So ayun, natapos pa lang po yung dalawang games. Pero mahaba-haba pa po yung series. Marami pa pong matututunan, especially yung team po namin, na kailangan po naming i-improve yung mga skills na dapat po naming i-improve,” she added.
Lamina held her own in her first matchup against her idol, but De Guzman had the final say, orchestrating the Cool Smashers’ offense like a well-oiled machine to lead them to a 27-29, 25-18, 25-19, 25-18 victory over the Highrisers.
De Guzman dished out 16 excellent sets and scored five points, while Lamina recorded nine excellent sets after nearly two hours of action.
Beyond facing De Guzman, Lamina was also thrilled to see familiar faces on the opposite side of the net, reuniting with her former National University teammates Erin Pangilinan, Sheena Toring, and Jennifer Nierva, as well as former head coach Sherwin Meneses.
The 24-year-old setter embraced the opportunity to face her former NU teammates and coach, seeing it as another chance to learn from them from a different perspective—as opponents rather than teammates.
“Ako, happy ako kasi, siyempre, this is my first time na I’m going, parang maglalaro ako against them. And ayun, malaking bagay din siya for me kasi parang tingin ko, parang iba-iba naman. Parang makalaban ko naman sila. Parang ano naman, matutunan ko po sa kanila,” said Lamina.
(C) PVL Images
Lamina believes those lessons will prove valuable as she navigates her first professional season, particularly as she adjusts to the demands of the pros and continues to develop as a setter for the Highrisers.
Her rookie campaign with Galeries Tower has gotten off to a difficult start, with the Highrisers absorbing back-to-back losses to Farm Fresh and Creamline.
After becoming accustomed to winning during her time with NU, the three-time UAAP champion acknowledged that learning to deal with setbacks is part of the adjustment to professional volleyball—a challenge she is willing to embrace as she continues to develop her game.
“Right now kasi, yung nangyari kasi sa amin is the first two losses. While nung college ako, parang lagi nangyayari is nananalo. So, itong loss namin is malaking bagay siya for me kasi parang dito ako matututo talaga ng patience and resilience,” she said.
“Tinetake ko siya as motivation pa na mas kailangan magpursige pa. Kasi back then, pag sa college life naman namin, nag-start din naman kami from scratch hanggang makuha namin yung gusto naming goal. So, malaking bagay ito sa aming team.”
