Jia De Guzman, Denso Airybees win Japan V.Cup title

Jia De Guzman and the Denso Airybees in the Japan V.Cup.–Photo from Denso Airybees Instagram

MANILA, Philippines — Jia De Guzman became the latest Filipino volleyball player to win a championship overseas.

De Guzman and the Denso Airybees ruled the Japan V.Cup after escaping Hitachi Astemo Rivale in five sets, 25-20, 22-25, 25-20, 23-25, 15-12, on Sunday.

The eight-time PVL Best Setter joined fellow V.League player Jaja Santiago as champion Filipino players in Japan with the latter leading her former club Saitama Ageo Medics to a V.Cup championship three years ago.

The V.Cup is a pocket tournament in Japan where the Japanese national players are excluded from the tournament. Santiago didn’t play for JT Marvelous as she got a call-up to the training pool even though her citizenship process is still ongoing.

Denso took down JT Marvelous, 23-35, 25-19, 25-19, 25-15, in the V.Cup semis on Saturday.

De Guzman was instrumental as a substitute setter for the Airybees in their title run.

The Creamline Cool Smasher joined Santiago and her former teammate Ced Domingo, who won a title in Thailand with Nakhon Ratchasima as well as men’s volleyball stars Bryan Bagunas (Taiwan) and Marck Espejo (South Korea) as the Filipino players earning championships abroad.

De Guzman helped Denso finish fifth in the elimination with a 12-10 record before they lost to Ageo Medics in the quarterfinal. The Filipino setter and the Airybees secured the fifth place with a 25-19, 25-23, 25-22 sweep of Hisamitsu Springs last March.

The 28-year-old De Guzman wasn’t part of Creamline’s roster in the ongoing 2024 PVL All-Filipino Conference due to her stint in Japan.