Jaja Santiago-Minowa may have seen her championship hopes with Creamline disappear in heartbreaking fashion, but there is still one more piece of unfinished business for the towering middle blocker.
The former PVL Conference MVP and the Cool Smashers were one set away from booking another trip to the Premier Volleyball League Invitational Conference finals.
Instead, their title bid came crashing down Sunday night.
Creamline surrendered a five-set thriller to PLDT at the SMART Araneta Coliseum, 25-17, 23-25, 21-25, 25-23, 15-12, ending a promising run that had seen the Cool Smashers win their first three matches of the tournament.
For Santiago-Minowa, the defeat carried extra weight.
She had returned to the Philippines for a short stint with Creamline, bringing with her the experience of playing at the highest level abroad and the expectations that naturally came with being regarded as one of the country's premier volleyball talents.
The goal was straightforward: help the Cool Smashers win another championship.
That opportunity is now gone.
“We are really aiming doon sa championship. I’m really sad, and I really feel bad na hindi ko nabigay sa kanila yun in a short span na nandito ako sa kanila maglalaro,” said Minowa, who will soon leave for the United States to join the San Francisco Signal in the LOVB.
But even after the painful loss, Minowa refuses to treat Creamline’s final match as a mere consolation game.
The Cool Smashers will face PLDT again on Tuesday, this time with a bronze medal at stake. And for Minowa, that is enough reason to approach the rematch with the same urgency as a championship game.
“Of course, yun nga, tough loss talaga, and lahat naman siguro binigay yung best, and sadyang kulang lang talaga sa dulo. And siguro, in short, preparation for everything na nakakalaban namin, we are really, I think, kulang,” said Minowa, who powered Creamline with 25 points on 15 attacks, nine blocks, and one ace.
The 30-year-old then made it clear that the Cool Smashers still have something worth fighting for.
“Hindi pa naman tapos yung laban. We still have a game on Tuesday, and it’s not finals; it’s not for gold, but we can change it—the mindset na it’s like finals kasi kahit ano mangyari, pag nanalo kami, we will get the medal. It’s still the same. It’s not the gold, but still, a win is a win, so we really need to work hard for Tuesday, and it’s a must-win,” she said.
There is little doubt that fatigue has become part of the equation.
Creamline’s veteran core has been pushed through a demanding six-day stretch, while Minowa herself has been asked to immediately make an impact despite joining the team for only a limited period.
Yet with one opportunity left, she knows there is no room for looking back.
The disappointment of missing the finals can linger later.
For now, the priority is making sure the Cool Smashers do not walk away empty-handed.
“Lahat naman talaga pagod eh. I think it’s a matter na paano mo ilalaban hanggang dulo,” Minowa said.
Her time with Creamline is already nearing its end. Soon, she will trade the familiar surroundings of the PVL for a new challenge in the United States.
Before she goes, however, Santiago-Minowa wants to leave something behind.
Not the championship she originally came home to chase, but a medal—and the satisfaction of knowing she and the Cool Smashers fought until the very last point.
“I’m gonna work harder sa Tuesday, no matter what happens, and at least go for a podium finish siguro.”
