Jaja Santiago‑Minowa may have left the 2026 PVL Invitational Conference without a medal, but her brief return to the Philippines gave her something she needed heading into her next chapter: confidence.
Santiago‑Minowa and the Creamline Cool Smashers finished fourth after falling to the PLDT High Speed Hitters, 25‑20, 20‑25, 25‑21, 25‑22, in the bronze medal match on Tuesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The loss ended Creamline’s campaign with 3 wins in 5 matches after the Cool Smashers opened the tournament with 3 straight victories before dropping their final 2 games.
Still, the 30‑year‑old middle blocker said she was grateful for the opportunity to play alongside the team she once competed against in the PVL.
“I love them. I love how they supported me; I love how they shared their knowledge sa volleyball,” said Santiago‑Minowa.
Santiago-Minowa Grateful for Creamline Camaraderie
More than the games themselves, Santiago-Minowa appreciated how quickly she became part of the Cool Smashers’ tight‑knit group.
“I love how connected the team is, even though we lost. 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.
The short stint also gave Santiago‑Minowa a chance to assess where she stands as a player after spending several years competing in Japan.
“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,” she said.
Playing in the PVL again helped answer those questions.
“And playing here, I think mas nakukuha ko ’yung confidence ko sa paglalaro,” Santiago-Minowa said.
That confidence will now come with her to the United States, where she is set to join the San Francisco Signal in LOVB after previously winning the 2024‑25 SV.League with the Osaka Marvelous.
“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,” she admitted.
“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.
Creamline, Santiago‑Minowa to Move Forward
Santiago‑Minowa finished the Invitational with a bronze medal just out of reach, but the veteran does not see Creamline’s fourth‑place finish as something that should define the team.
“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,” Santiago-Minowa said.
And while her immediate priority is San Francisco, Minowa is already leaving the door open for another PVL stint.
“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.”
