Sachi Minowa Dazzles in Long-Awaited PVL Return as Creamline Routs Galeries Tower
Key Takeaways
- •Sachi Minowa, formerly known as Jaja Santiago, played her first PVL match in five years and scored six points in Creamline's straight-sets victory over Galeries Tower.
- •Creamline completed the PVL on Tour conference with a perfect 2-0 record in Victorias City, Negros Occidental.
- •Minowa has competed in Japan's V.League since 2018, debuting for Ageo Medics as one of the first homegrown Filipinas in the league, and now plays under her married name.
- •The six-team PVL Invitational begins Aug. 31 and includes defending champion PLDT, Farm Fresh, Nxled, and club teams from Thailand and Vietnam.
- •Minowa's contract with Creamline is short-term, and she is scheduled to leave for the United States afterward to pursue playing opportunities there.
SACHI MINOWA — the star formerly known as Jaja Santiago — turned her long-awaited homecoming into a showcase, powering Creamline to a 25-21, 25-16, 25-21 demolition of expansion side Galeries Tower as the PVL on Tour, the league's traveling series that brings matches to fans outside Metro Manila, concluded over the weekend in Victorias City, Negros Occidental.
Suiting up for her first Premier Volleyball League match in five years, Minowa scattered six points as the Cool Smashers completed the short but sweet conference with a perfect 2-0 record — and, remarkably, she has yet to bring out her full arsenal.
The Premier Volleyball League is the top women's professional volleyball league in the Philippines, and Minowa ranks among the most accomplished players of her generation in the country. A standout at National University in the UAAP before turning professional, she later became a fixture of the Philippine women's national team and spent the past few years building a career in Japan's V.League, where she now competes under the name Sachi Minowa after marrying Japanese spiker Taichi Minowa. Her move to Japan in 2018 — she debuted for Ageo Medics — made her one of the first homegrown Filipinas to suit up in the V.League, and her years abroad have made appearances on local soil scarce ever since.
Her return left everyone in awe, including Creamline coach Sherwin Meneses.
"Of course, we're excited, she's Jaja Santiago," he said.
For Minowa, the outing was a chance to relish playing on local soil again.
"It's overwhelming to play again here," she said.
Attention now shifts to the PVL Invitational, slated to begin Aug. 31. After more than a week of rest, the 11-time PVL champion Cool Smashers return to their old stomping ground eyeing another championship in the six-team Invitational, which also features defending champion PLDT, Farm Fresh, Nxled, and club teams from Thailand and Vietnam.
Fans may want to make the most of Minowa's appearances. Her Creamline stint is a short-term contract, and she is set to leave the country again afterward to play in the United States — a market that recently welcomed new professional leagues in the Pro Volleyball Federation and League One Volleyball, widening opportunities for international players.
When she will be seen on local soil again, no one knows. Like an eclipse, she remains a rare sight — and a spectacle to behold.
— Joey Villar
