CREAMLINE powered Philippines defeated the powerful Australian team in five sets on Sunday afternoon to advance to the fight for fifth place, there were lots of tears shed. The scores were 21-25, 25-19, 19-25, 25-18, and 15-12. 

After the two-hour, 19-minute event, Jema Galanza let all of her feelings out through tears. Her tears were shed for a variety of reasons.

2019 PVL Open Conference MVP Galanza recounts of the experience “Siguro dahil ito sa sobrang saya ko, siguro sa pagod na rin dahil wala, dire-diretso talaga ‘yung laro namin.”

(Maybe it’s because I’m so happy, maybe because I’m tired because there’s nothing, our game is really straightforward.)

She later tallied 18 points, five coming off the all-important fifth frame.

A few weeks before the commencement of the 2022 PNVF AVC Cup for Women, Creamline, the most recent PVL champion, accepted PNVF’s request to represent the nation. The native of San Pedro, Laguna added that those tears were for Creamline’s doubters. 

It will be the nation’s best result in the continental cup, whether it comes in fifth or sixth.

The 25 year old Galanza further continues, “Siguro naiisip ko lang ‘yung mga taong hindi nagtitiwala sa team namin pero nagawa namin makapunta dito kung nasaan kami ngayon.”

(Maybe I’m just thinking about the people who don’t trust our team but we were able to get to where we are today.)

“Sobrang happy lang din talaga ako sa ginawa ng team kasi talagang lumaban.” Injured but proud she says.

(Sobrang happy lang din talaga ako sa ginawa ng team kasi talagang lumaban.)

Then Galanza admitted that she was hurt while playing versus Australia. 

In their match against Thailand on Saturday in the quarterfinals, she picked up a slight injury.

“Nandoon pa rin, hindi ganun talaga ka 100 percent pero siguro puso na lang din talaga ‘yung nandito and arcoxia.”

(It’s still there, you’re not really 100 percent, but maybe it’s just the heart that’s here and arcoxia.)

But even with her playing hurt, and the whole team gassed out due to a killer schedule, the Cool Smashers still went all out in their match the following day.

The battle for fifth game against Chinese Taipei may have ended against the desires of the valiant Philippines’ Creamline volleybelles, but it surely brought much pride and respect to the team and for the PH.

On Jema Galanza

Jessica Margarett “Jema” Casidsid Galanza, a Filipino volleyball player who played for the Adamson Soaring Lady Falcons in the UAAP and was a member of the national squad, was born on November 28, 1996. She also participated in the 2016 SVL Reinforced Conference with the Laoag Power Smashers. Since 2017, she has been a standout spiker for the Creamline Cool Smashers in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL).

Galanza made his beach volleyball tournament debut for Adamson University in 2013 as a reserve. She competed in the women’s beach volleyball championship match of the UAAP Season 76 versus University of Santo Tomas with star players Bang Pineda and Amanda Villanueva, winning both games. 

She participated in collegiate athletics with the Adamson Lady Falcons, where she captained the team during UAAP Season 80. In the Premier Volleyball League, Galanza competes for the Creamline Cool Smashers alongside Alyssa Valdez, Jia Morado, Michele Gumabao, and Tots Carlos.

Galanza participated in the Asian Women’s Volleyball Cup in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand in 2018 as a member of the Philippine women’s volleyball squad. Galanza achieved the second-best outside spiker honor during the 2018 Premier Volleyball League Open Conference, and the team finally won the title alongside the Creamline Cool Smashers. 

She won the First Best Outside Spiker and Most Valuable Player in the 2019 Premier Volleyball League Open Conference, as well as the third PVL championship for her current squad, Creamline Cool Smashers. 

Galanza received an invitation to join the Philippine national volleyball team’s training facility in 2021. The team will play in Thailand from October 1–7, 2021, in the Asian Women’s Club Volleyball Championship.

Galanza was scheduled to play in her maiden SEA Games in Hanoi, Vietnam in May 2022 after being re-called up to the Philippine national volleyball team’s final lineup in 2022. 

Galanza responded positively when Allan K, the co-host of Eat Bulaga, asked her if she could accept an acting role during her appearance on the noontime show in August 2021; in fact, the genre she desired was comedy. [18] She ultimately appeared in Day Zero, an action-horror movie that had lead actors Brandon Vera, Joey Marquez, Mary Jean Lastimosa, and Ricci Rivero, among others, and had its world premiere at a film festival in Switzerland on

From scoring a career-high 28 points in the Adamson victory over UST in the UAAP back in 2016 to producing a highly unusual play of five straight points for the Cool Smashers via her spikes as part of the 2022 TV5 highlights aired on One Sports half a decade later, there is no stopping Galanza’s professional volleyball onslaught, not to mention a triple-double of 17 points, 18 excellent digs, and 13 excellent receptions in a thrilling Creamline-Chery 

Galanza and eventual MVP Carlos, the Cool Smashers’ top two scorers, helped the team defeat KingWhale Taipei in the knockout final to win another championship in the 2022 Premier Volleyball League Invitational Conference.

On August 23, 2022, Galanza, an AVC veteran, assisted the Creamline-powered Philippine National Team in a valiant stand against five-time champion China. The following day, she led all scorers with 21 points while Carlos and Gumabao contributed 14 and 13 points in the host Philippines’ first victory over Iran.