PVL: Jema Galanza, Creamline seeing payoff from preseason grind

Creamline Cool Smashers’ Jema Galanza during a game vs Farm Fresh Foxies in the 2026 PVL Invitational Conference. –PVL PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Jema Galanza continued to dazzle in the PVL Invitational Conference, exploding with 26 points to help Creamline fend off Farm Fresh in five sets.

Galanza tallied  22 kills, two blocks, and a pair of aces on top of 18 excellent receptions and 11 digs in the Cool Smashers’ 25-18, 24-26, 25-22, 23-25, 15-4 win over Farm Fresh, inching closer to the Invitational final on Thursday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The former league MVP attributed her stellar game to their campaign in the PVL on Tour, where they won two preseason matches.

“I think our three-month preseason training was a big help. We really took our time with our conditioning and focused on the basic skills. That’s why now, we have a better idea of what we need to do, and everything feels a little easier,” said Galanza in Filipino.

Galanza scored five points in the fifth, joining hands with Jaja Santiago-Minowa to dominate the Foxies en route to a 3-0 record.

“Of course, we want to win. This is already our third game, and we have a good chance of making the Finals. In my mind, we really don’t want to let this opportunity slip away because we’re already here,” she said. “We’ve had a lot of games before where we were already close, only for it to suddenly slip away. So we really don’t want to let this one go because we’re already here. We’re so close.”

Galanza and the Cool Smashers try to clinch a Finals berth against EST Cola of Thailand on Friday at 6:30 p.m.

“It’s a good thing we experienced a game like this because as we get closer to the end, the games will only get tougher since everyone wants to make the Finals. So I think this was a wake-up call for us to see what we still need to fix, and we have to fix those things right away,” Galanza said.