Always lovely to see her doing well.
So far, so good for Jaja Santiago in her maiden season with the JT Marvelous in the Japan V.League.
Santiago and her new club handily won both of their games over the weekend for a 2-0 start. They first beat the Toyota Body Auto Queenseis, 25-21, 29-27, 25-14, on Saturday before trouncing Santiago's former team, the Saitama Ageo Medics, 25-15, 25-19, 25-22, on Sunday.
Two games. Two sweeps. Two wins.
The 27-year-old Santiago has steadily become one of the most beloved players in the Japan V.League, and helping the JT Marvelous to a consistent winning record will only expand her star power.
While the PVL surely misses the Cavite-born spiker, many fans still fully support her overseas stint. Many took to X, formerly Twitter, to send love to Santiago after her successful start with her latest squad.
Some were overjoyed seeing Santiago rubbing elbows with fellow import Annie Drews, who won a gold medal with the United States in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
One even made a bold prediction.
Santiago, who started playing in Japan in 2019 and won a Division 1 V.Cup title with the Ageo Medics, paved the way for other Filipina volleybelles to play overseas, including Jia de Guzman and MJ Phillips, who are playing in Japan and South Korea, respectively. Most recently, it was announced that Ced Domingo will also join a still undisclosed foreign club.
Santiago will try to make it five straight wins with the JT Marvelous when they battle the Toray Arrows on Saturday and the Okayama Seagulls on Sunday.