Alyssa glad ‘Trauma bond’ returns for Creamline
Alyssa Valdez relished the feeling of being whole again.
On Tuesday night at Filoil Centre, that meant sharing the court once more with longtime setter Jia de Guzman as Creamline shook off a slow start and turned back ZUS Coffee, 22-25, 25-17, 25-16, 25-18, in the PVL.
Valdez and De Guzman go way back—from Ateneo’s two UAAP titles to building what the former fondly calls a “trauma bond” forged by years of sacrifice.
“There’s something different about us because of everything we went through together since college. We’ve built that ‘trauma bond’ over the years—the sacrifices we made playing volleyball weren’t easy,” said Valdez, who chipped in seven points off the bench.
“So it’s really nice to see her take command now, especially with what she wants to do for the team and how she wants to keep improving herself as a setter. As her teammate, I really appreciate that.”
Scoring surprise
After nearly three years away—she had a stint with Denso AiryBees in Japan and national team duties with Alas Pilipinas—De Guzman is back orchestrating Creamline’s offense. And for Valdez, the difference shows not just in games.
“I’m honestly very excited to keep practicing and training with her. It’s been a while since we’ve played together, and practice just feels different when we’re complete,” she said.
De Guzman made her presence felt in more ways than one. The eight-time Best Setter unloaded a rare 10-point outing—six kills, two aces and two blocks—on top of 25 excellent sets as Creamline improved to 2-1 with back-to-back wins after an opening sweep by PLDT.
That added scoring threat, she believes, makes Creamline less predictable at the net.
Still, De Guzman was quick to temper expectations.
“Personally, I don’t think we’re there yet. This isn’t our best version yet,” she added.
