MANILA, January 15 ------ For the first time in her career, celebrated playmaker Jia Morado-De Guzman has been named Miss Volleyball by the Philippine Sportswriters Association. De Guzman, the captain of the Philippine women's national volleyball team, will formally receive the award during the San Miguel Corporation-Philippine Sportswriters Association (SMC-PSA) Awards Night, set for January 27 at the Manila Hotel.
Aside from de Guzman, also set to be honored by Philippine sports scribes are PBA star June Mar Fajardo and former De La Salle University superstar Kevin Quiambao. Fajardo is once again the Mr. Basketball among the professional players, while Quiambao will receive the amateur equivalent of the award. The three are part of the honor roll of the oldest media organization in the country. Gymnast Carlos Yulo leads the awardees as the 2024 Athlete of the Year, after rewriting Philippine sports history with his two gold medals in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Fajardo had been the recipient several times of the Mr. Basketball honor in the past, while Quiambao and Morado-De Guzman are receiving the award for the first time. The 35-year-old Fajardo reset his own record last year when he won the PBA Most Valuable Player award for the eighth time, while leading San Miguel to back-to-back Finals stints including winning the Commissioner's Cup crown. He was also a part of the Gilas Pilipinas team that reached the semifinals of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Riga, Latvia.
Quiambao, meanwhile, won Most Valuable Player honors in UAAP Season 87, the second straight year that he won the top individual plum. He also led the Green Archers back to the UAAP Finals, where they lost to the University of the Philippines. Now a professional in Korea, Quiambao is also part of the Gilas Pilipinas pool that competed in both the FIBA Olympic and Asia Cup qualifiers.
De Guzman, meanwhile, was the steady anchor of Alas Pilipinas' bronze medal finishes in the SEA Women's V. League series, where she was named Best Setter together in the Asian Women's Volleyball Challenge Cup. Past winners of the special awards include Scottie Thompson, Arwind Santos, Terrence Romeo, Calvin Abueva, Thirdy Ravena, Mark Caguioa, among others, along with volleyball stars Alyssa Valdez, Mika Reyes, Dawn Macandili, Jaja Santiago, Sisi Rondina, and Tots Carlos.
Source: news.abs-cbn.com
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