Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 13) — Volleyball superstar Jaja Santiago has left the Saitama Ageo Medics in Japan V. League after five years, the team announced on Saturday.
\”I have been with the Ageo team for five years. [Five] seasons is no joke,\” Santiago said in a statement posted on Ageo Medics website.
\”I have learned a lot,\” she added. \”All of my first times in pro volleyball happened here. I learned the discipline, the courage, the culture and definitely the heart of being a professional volleyball player.\”
However, the 27-year-old middle blocker did not mention her next plan.
\”Unfortunately, it is with a heavy heart that I have decided to go out of my comfort zone and take risk and widen my perspective in my volleyball career,\” she said. \”Ageo team is always in my heart. It doesn’t mean a goodbye, but I’ll see you around.\”
Santiago became the first Filipino volleyball player to win a championship in an international league after the Ageo Medics won in 2021.
She last saw action in the Philippines during the Premier Volleyball League Open Conference in 2021, where she bagged the Conference and Finals Most Valuable Player awards after leading the Chery Tiggo Crossovers to the title.
