Relive the Epic Moments of PBA Finals 2016 Championship Series Highlights

I still get chills thinking about that 2016 PBA Finals Championship Series. You know those moments in sports that just stick with you forever? That series was packed with them. I remember sitting on the edge of my couch, completely forgetting about my cold dinner as I watched these athletes push beyond what anyone thought was possible. What made it particularly special was witnessing two phenomenal outside hitters completely redefine what excellence looks like in their position. Creamline's Jema Galanza and Kobe Shinwa's Nagisa Komatsuda didn't just play; they put on a masterclass, and rightly ended up sharing the honors as the tournament's best outside hitters. It was one of those rare times where you couldn't possibly choose one over the other.

Let's talk about Jema first. Her energy was just infectious. I recall one specific play in the third game where Creamline was down by 4 points, and the momentum was slipping. The ball was set a bit too far outside, and everyone, including me at home, thought it was going out. But Jema, with this incredible burst of speed, chased it down and executed a cross-court spike that was so sharp, it literally silenced the opposing team's fans for a good five seconds. She scored 24 points that game, with 18 of them coming from kills. That's a 75% success rate on attacks in a high-pressure finals match! It wasn't just about power, though. She had this finesse, these clever tips over the block that would land perfectly in the gaps, scoring points that felt almost artistic. You could see her reading the opponent's defense, adjusting her approach in a split second. It was like watching a chess master, but on a volleyball court.

Then you had Nagisa Komatsuda on the other side of the net. Her style was a beautiful contrast. Where Jema was fiery and explosive, Nagisa was calm, calculated, and ruthlessly efficient. I remember thinking she moved with a kind of graceful economy—no wasted motion. Her defensive work was just as impressive as her offense. There was a legendary rally in the fourth game, I want to say it lasted for about 45 seconds, which is an eternity in volleyball. Nagisa made two diving digs in that single rally, the second one while she was practically horizontal to the floor, somehow getting her hands under a ball that was destined to be a kill for Creamline. She turned a sure point into an opportunity for her team to counter-attack. And offensively, her hitting percentage was through the roof. I'd estimate she was operating at a .480 efficiency for the series, a staggering number against a defense as strong as Creamline's. Her ability to find the deep corners of the court was uncanny; she didn't just beat the block, she made it irrelevant.

What made their dual excellence so compelling was how they lifted their entire teams. This wasn't a one-woman show on either side. Jema's relentless attacks would draw a double block, which opened up opportunities for her middles. You'd see the defense shift toward her, and then bang, a quick set to the middle for an easy point. Similarly, Nagisa's impeccable passing and floor defense provided the stable platform Kobe Shinwa needed to run their complex offensive schemes. They were the engines, but they made every other part of the machine work better. The series went the full distance, all five games, and the final point differential across the entire championship was something ridiculously narrow, like 15 points in total. That's how evenly matched and fiercely contested it was.

Looking back, I have a slight personal preference for Jema's style—that raw, emotional, leave-it-all-on-the-court passion just resonates with me. But to claim she was definitively better than Nagisa would be dishonest. They were two sides of the same brilliant coin. The decision to name them both the best outside hitters was perfect. It acknowledged that greatness isn't a single mold. You can dominate with fiery passion, or you can conquer with icy precision. The 2016 PBA Finals gave us both, in a head-to-head battle that we were just lucky to witness. It set a standard for volleyball excellence that I still compare today's players to. Honestly, I don't think we've seen a duel quite like it since.