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Jaja Santiago feels love from home crowd in first Philippine game in five years

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VICTORIAS, Negros Occidental — Volleyball fans made sure Jaja Santiago knew just how much they’ve missed her in the Philippines.

And the 6-foot-5 tower, in return, granted as many selfies, autographs, and photos as she could after her first game back in the country in five years — this time with Creamline.

It was a triumphant homecoming for Santiago, who helped the Cool Smashers sweep the Galeries Tower Highrisers, 25-21, 25-16, 25-21, in front of a massive, roaring crowd that trooped to the Victorias City Coliseum here on Saturday for a successful conclusion to the 2026 PVL On Tour Showdown.

Santiago definitely missed the wild Filipino crowd, as her last stint in the country in 2021 with Chery Tiggo happened in a bubble setup during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Santiago led the then-Chery Tiggo Crossovers to the PVL’s first professional championship in the Bacarra, Ilocos Norte bubble, defeating her current team, the Cool Smashers, in three games in the Finals.

“Sobrang nakaka-proud na ang daming nanonood sa atin ngayon. Despite na anong oras na rin, nandito sila, todo suporta, and yung effort talaga is there. Sobrang grateful namin na — alam mo yun, yung volleyball dito sa atin sa Philippines is really growing,” said Santiago, who also carries the Japanese name Sachi Minowa.

“And sa loob kasi ng court, kung maririnig ko yung gantong cheer, madadala ka eh. Sila yung parang nagbibigay din sa’yo ng power, ng lakas talaga sa loob ng court. And lagi ko nga sinasabi, itong crowd na ito, itong mga fans na ito, sila rin yung dahilan kung bakit kami nandito,” she continued.

Since her last stint with Chery Tiggo, Santiago has won two Best Middle Blocker awards in the Japan SV.League, Japan’s top-level volleyball tournament.

She spent seven seasons in Japan before taking her talents to the United States’ League One Volleyball (LOVB), which will begin in early 2027, paving the way for her stint with the Cool Smashers in the 2026 PVL Invitational Conference.

Creamline, an early favorite following its signing of Santiago, will go head-to-head with defending champion PLDT, Farm Fresh, Nxled, Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City, and Thailand’s EST Cola in the week-long Invitational beginning on August 31. All games will take place at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Even after getting her feet wet with the one-game appearance in the province-hopping PVL On Tour, Santiago is still taking extra caution heading into the Invitational.

“Siyempre, iba pa rin sa Invitational kasi may makakalaban din kami na Vietnam, Thailand. Magandang preparation itong On Tour sa amin sa team kasi we still have a lot of adjustments na kailangang ayusin sa team. And we’re not perfect,” she said.

“Sa Invitational, we’re gonna do our very best. Yan lang, magiging tight yung schedule and hoping na maganda yung recovery ng bawat isa every day, every game.”

The post Jaja Santiago feels love from home crowd in first Philippine game in five years appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.

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ZUS Coffee to grace Mighty Sports Center volleyball court launch

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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.

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Golden Eaglets begin U17 AFCON qualifiers vs Cote d’Ivoire

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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.

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

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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

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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.

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