Jia Morado giddy as she debuts new surname De Guzman

MANILA, Philippines — Jia Morado was thrilled to debut her new surname De Guzman in Creamline’s three-set victory over PLDT in the 2022 Premier Volleyball League Open Conference.

The star setter, who got married to longtime boyfriend Miguel in November last year, donned her new surname on the back of her Cool Smashers’ jersey on Thursday at Paco Arena.

“Honestly, I feel giddy. I’m still not used to hearing my name being called with a different surname. But of course, I’m happy,” said De Guzman shortly after winning their campaign opener.

De Guzman was a trending topic on Twitter on Thursday night with over 8, 000 tweets about the former Ateneo star’s first game as a married athlete.

The three-time PVL Finals MVP flashed her playmaking brilliance with 22 excellent sets and scored three to outshine PLDT’s veteran setter Rhea Dimaculangan and the revamped High Speed Hitters, 25-16, 25-18, 25-22.

On a serious note, the multi-awarded playmaker was grateful for their first Pool B win but she stressed that there are still things to work on as they move forward in their title-redemption campaign

“We’re very thankful for the win. It’s been awhile since we last played together in the PVL. We still have a lot of things to improve and we’re ready to go through our training for our next game,” De Guzman said.