Connect with us

News

Jaja Santiago makes triumphant PVL return as Creamline sweeps Galeries Tower

Published

on

VICTORIAS, Negros Occidental — Jaja Santiago-Minowa made a triumphant return to the Premier Volleyball League, helping her new team Creamline sweep Galeries Tower, 25-21, 25-16, 25-21, for a successful end to the 2026 On Tour Showdown on Saturday inside a jampacked Victorias City Coliseum here.

The 6-foot-5 middle blocker last played in the PVL in 2021 during the “Bacarra bubble,” leading the now-defunct Chery Tiggo to the league’s first professional championship.

The Cool Smashers swept their two games in the Tour. They were originally scheduled to face the Capital1 Solar Spikers on August 8 in the Santiago, Isabela leg, but the match was canceled due to Tropical Depression Maymay.

PVL-On-Tour-Victorias-Creamline-vs.-Galeries-Alyssa-Valdez-6382 Jaja Santiago makes triumphant PVL return as Creamline sweeps Galeries Tower News PVL Volleyball  - philippine sports news

(C) PVL Images

“Siyempre excited kami kasi siyempre Jaja Santiago ’yan. Ang gusto naming mangyari rin talaga maging maganda yung chemistry ng team lalo na parating na ‘yung Invitational, yun yung pinakaimportante kasi yung skills ng team nandiyan na eh,” said Creamline head coach Sherwin Meneses.

The Highrisers threatened to extend the match after taking a slim 20-19 lead in the third set, but the Cool Smashers remained calm and composed down the stretch.

Jema Galanza and Kyle Negrito sparked a three-point run to swing the momentum in Creamline’s favor before Bea de Leon, Alyssa Valdez, and Pangs Panaga also connected, fueling a 6-1 finishing run that sealed the victory in 92 minutes.

Valdez led the balanced attack for the Cool Smashers with 10 points, while Galanza added seven points and 11 excellent digs.

Santiago-Minowa, Panaga, and Tots Carlos finished with six points apiece, while Negrito tallied 17 excellent sets and two points.

Creamline will next see action in the Invitational Conference, which starts on August 31. Defending champion PLDT, Farm Fresh, Nxled, Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City, and Thailand’s EST Cola will join the Cool Smashers in the week-long tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

PVL-On-Tour-Victorias-Creamline-vs.-Galeries-Jean-Asis-5737 Jaja Santiago makes triumphant PVL return as Creamline sweeps Galeries Tower News PVL Volleyball  - philippine sports news

(C) PVL Images

Meanwhile, the Highrisers ended their Tour campaign with a 1-2 record, earning a win over the Foxies while losing to the Chameleons.

PVL Draft 2025 second overall pick Jean Asis led Galeries Tower with nine points, while Bacolod native Erika Deloria added six.

The post Jaja Santiago makes triumphant PVL return as Creamline sweeps Galeries Tower appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

News

ZUS Coffee to grace Mighty Sports Center volleyball court launch

Published

on

Two weeks after inaugurating its basketball courts, Mighty Sports Center will officially open its volleyball courts at AcroCity in Guiguinto, Bulacan, on Saturday, October 10, in what promises to be another festive affair.

Rising star Jolina Dela Cruz and veterans Jovelyn Gonzaga and Rachell Anne Daquiz, along with the rest of the ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles, will join the celebration dubbed “SET.SPIKE.PLAY.”

AcroCity and Czark Mak chairman Caesar Wongchuking, a longtime sports patron, said that aside from the exhibition match between ZUS Coffee and the Makata Selection of Bulacan at 4 p.m., the event will also feature a meet-and-greet session where fans can interact with their PVL idols.

“Just like the inauguration of the basketball courts, fans can interact with these professional volleyball players,” said Wongchuking. “It’s our own little way to giving back to communities.”

Wongchuking added that proceeds from the event will go to Tahanang Mapagpala of Immaculada Concepcion Foundation, Inc. He also thanked ZUS Coffee owner Frank Lao for allowing his players to take part in the celebration.

Also expected to grace the event are Bulacan Vice Governor Alex Castro and Malolos City Mayor Christian Natividad.

The volleyball courts are part of the Mighty Sports Center at AcroCity, a development envisioned as a “Live, Work, Play” destination in Guiguinto.

Aside from its basketball and volleyball courts and modern fitness center, AcroCity is also home to Acro Residences Hotel, restaurants such as Cafe de Margaux and Mt. Fuji, and event venues including Ang Hardin and NDW Plaza, which is named after the Wongchuking family matriarch, Nelia D. Wongchuking.

The post ZUS Coffee to grace Mighty Sports Center volleyball court launch appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.

Continue Reading

News

Golden Eaglets begin U17 AFCON qualifiers vs Cote d’Ivoire

Published

on

The Golden Eaglets of Nigeria will begin their qualifying campaign for the U17 AFCON against Cote d’Ivoire next week Wednesday.

Their other Group B match will be against Niger three days later.

The WAFU B U17 AFCON qualifying tournament will kick off Saturday, when hosts Burkina Faso take on Benin and Ghana square up against Togo.

Burkina Faso head Group A, whose overall winners will face runners-up in Group B for a place in the championship game.

The post Golden Eaglets begin U17 AFCON qualifiers vs Cote d’Ivoire first appeared on Score Nigeria.

Continue Reading

News

Alex Eala, Shaira Rivera roll into Asian Games doubles second round

Published

on

Alex Eala and Shaira Rivera hurdled their first test as a doubles pair, defeating Hong Kong’s Kallista Liu and Lai Ching Laam, 6-1, 6-3, in the opening round of the women’s doubles tournament at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 on Tuesday.

With the outdoor courts washed out by continuous rain, Eala and Rivera had their original schedule pushed back to the evening. The long delay, however, did little to disrupt their rhythm as they quickly took control of the match.

Eala, ranked No. 127 in the world in doubles, and Rivera, a standout at NCAA Division II school University of West Alabama, needed little time to jell as a pair.

2026-Asian-Games-Alex-Eala-1 Alex Eala, Shaira Rivera roll into Asian Games doubles second round News Tennis  - philippine sports news

(C) POC Media

After their opponents held serve in the opening game, the Filipinas rattled off six straight games to take the first set in just 33 minutes.

The second set lasted a bit longer, but Eala and Rivera remained in control for most of the way to seal the victory at the Higashiyama Park Tennis Center.

The road ahead, however, will be considerably tougher in the second round. Eala and Rivera will face doubles specialists and third seeds Jiang Xinyu and Yang Zhaoxuan of China.

The 27-year-old Jiang is ranked No. 22 in the world in doubles and recently reached the Wimbledon semifinals. Then Yang, 31, has a career-high doubles ranking of No. 9 and has also reached the semifinals of the French Open.

Both Filipinas are also into the next round in their other competitions — Rivera with partner Francis Alcantara in mixed doubles, and Eala in the women’s singles.

The post Alex Eala, Shaira Rivera roll into Asian Games doubles second round appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.

Continue Reading

Trending