Alas Pilipinas captain Jia de Guzman in attendance during the UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball Finals. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines —Fresh off her final season in Japan, Jia De Guzman is wasting no time gearing up for her next mission with Alas Pilipinas.
The veteran setter recently wrapped up a long campaign with the Denso AiryBees in the Japan V.League, where they placed fourth after falling to Jaja Santiago’s JT Marvelous in the semifinals.
READ: Jia De Guzman leaving Japan’s Denso, focuses on Alas Pilipinas
The national team captain, who took time to watch the best of Philippine collegiate volleyball and witnessed National University capture its second straight title in the UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball Finals, is now turning her full focus to the national team.
Jia De Guzman is excited to play with the younger Alas Pilipinas call-ups. #UAAPSeason87 @INQUIRERSports pic.twitter.com/HQ1zFbiYqU
— Lance Agcaoili (@LanceAgcaoilINQ) May 14, 2025
“We fell short. We made it to the semifinals, but came up a bit short in the end,” De Guzman said of her Japan stint. “Still, we’re very proud of how we performed, especially since we ranked higher than last season. Everyone gave their best, and it was a really long season, especially with the new tournament format.”
Denso announced last April that it would be De Guzman’s final year with the club.
Now back in Manila, the eight-time PVL Best Setter has quickly rejoined training with Alas Pilipinas, joining holdovers Vanie Gandler, Dawn Catindig, Thea Gagate, Julia Coronel, Dell Palomata, and Eya Laure, along with newcomers Shaina Nitura and Maddie Madayag.
Jia De Guzman and Alas Pilipinas during a game against Vietnam in the FIVB Challenger Cup in Manila.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
“I’m really excited. I just got back on May 8, and I was actually expected to return to training around May 20 or 26. But I want to get started already,” De Guzman told the reporters in Filipino. “I saw that a lot of new players have arrived, like Shaina and the others. Hopefully, once the UAAP Finals are done, we’ll get more additions. We have a lot to prepare for this season.”
The reigning Challenge Cup Best Setter is bracing for a tougher campaign in this year’s AVC Women’s Nations Cup — formerly known as the Challenge Cup — in Hanoi, Vietnam, from June 7 to 14.
READ: ‘Ms. Volleyball’ honor ‘dream come true’ for Jia de Guzman
“There’s definitely a little bit of pressure this year, especially since we won bronze last year. But at the same time, we’re starting from zero again. We’ve all been apart, and we still need more time to prepare,” said De Guzman.
“Our first tournament is coming up. We’re also expecting players from the UAAP, but we don’t know when we’ll be complete. Right now, there are about 12 or 13 of us training together. So we’re just reminding the girls to take it day by day, stay focused on coach’s system, and hopefully get more wins and medals this year.”
Alas Pilipinas bagged three bronze medals last year — including two from the SEA V.League and one from the AVC Challenge Cup at Rizal Memorial Coliseum, with De Guzman being named Best Setter.
Having observed the new wave of talent up close, De Guzman is eager to play alongside the next generation of Philippine volleyball stars — including fellow Alas players Bella Belen and Angel Canino, who led their respective teams in the recently concluded UAAP finals.
“These are big names and big talents, and the level of volleyball now is just amazing,” she said.
“Even though I’ve been playing for a while and I played in Japan also. There’s still so much to learn even from the young blood. Seeing them play now, it’s such a big leap from how we played back when I was in college. I’m sure I’ll still learn a lot from them too.”
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