Creamline Cool Smashers’ Jema Galanza during the PVL Invitationals Conference celebration. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — Jema Galanza may have missed the majority of the last two conferences but she made sure to help finish Creamline’s historic grand slam story in the PVL.
In just her second game since returning from Alas Pilipinas, Galanza proved that she hardly missed a beat nailing the title-clinching attack to escape the gritty Cignal HD Spikers in five sets, 21-25, 25-17, 20-25, 26-24, 15-13, in the Invitational Conference final on Thursday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The win secured Creamline the league’s first-ever grand slam and its 10th overall title.
READ: PVL: Jema Galanza returns in style as Creamline nears Grand Slam
“Actually, I was nervous because we had very little preparation, and I barely got to train with them. So there was nervousness, but I told myself: ‘This is it, I’ll finish this for them,’” said Galanza, who delivered the spike that broke Cignal’s defense and secured the elusive grand slam for Creamline.
“When I think about those kinds of games, it feels amazing because the pressure in those games is what makes it exciting. I embrace it because that’s where you learn, even though there’s some nervousness,” she added.
The All-Filipino Conference Finals MVP was in street clothes with injured teammates Alyssa Valdez and Tots Carlos for the whole duration of the Reinforced Conference, where Creamline ended a six-year title drought, and their first three games in the Invitationals due to her Als stint.
When she got the green light, Galanza returned to action in style providing the fresh legs for the Cool Smashers to complete a four-game elimination round sweep and scoring 11 points in the winner-take-all final to help Bernadeth Pons and Erica Staunton overcome the 42-point effort of MJ Perez.
READ: PVL: Alyssa Valdez all praises for Creamline teammates, system
“That’s how much I love them. I know how tired they are from back-to-back seasons, so I told coach, ‘I’ll take charge since I had a longer rest.’ I wanted to give my all in this game for them,” said the national team mainstay.
Though she played limited games during the midseason, Galanza expressed pride in her teammates, shaped by coach Sherwin Meneses’ winning system and their strong bond, for maintaining the team’s success despite a depleted roster.
“Honestly, I didn’t even want to play because they were already doing so well. But of course, they’ve played a lot this season, two conferences back-to-back, so they really needed help,” Galanza said. “Not necessarily through points, but by being vocal with my teammates. I hope I contributed. I’m super happy and proud because the work they did wasn’t easy. With Ate Ly, Tots, and even myself missing for weeks, it was tough, but they brought us here.”