Alas Pilipinas player celebrate with fans after sealing a semifinals berth in the AVC Nations Cup. –AVC PHOTO
Anybody searching for a reason to be proud on Independence Day found one in Alas Pilipinas.
Leaning on a trio of collegiate stars, the national women’s volleyball team hammered out a 25-21, 25-15, 25-19 upset of Kazakhstan on Thursday to make it to the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Women’s Volleyball Nations Cup semifinals for the second straight year.
No one was more elated than skipper Jia Morado-de Guzman after the stunning victory at Dong Anh Arena in Hanoi, Vietnam.
“Honestly, right after yesterday’s game, the moment we got into the dugout, our minds were already focused on Kazakhstan. We knew today would be a tough match, and we had to give our very best to win,” said De Guzman in
Filipino.
“I still can’t believe we won in straight sets. We just told ourselves we’d step on the court and do whatever it takes to win and I’m so proud of my teammates.”
But as big as the victory may have been for the team, it was an even bigger victory for the national program.
Spearheading the victory was a trio of UAAP stars—Bella Belen, Alyssa Solomon and Angel Canino. And the youngsters were hardly fazed by the enormity of the moment.
“I had the opportunity to face Kazakhstan several times in the past, and they always have different sets of players,” Belen, who turned pro recently and was drafted by Capital1 in the PVL, said. “But I have deep in my mind that we can beat them.”
‘Finally clicked’
The three-time UAAP MVP and champion finished with 16 points while her National University teammate Solomon added 14. The two stars graduated from the Lady Bulldogs program as champions after beating La Salle, whose own standout delivered for the victory, too.
Angel Canino, the Lady Spikers star, also had 14 points as the Philippines, ranked 47th in the world, took advantage of the absence of injured Kazakhstan star Sana Anarkulova to notch its fourth win in five games.
“We didn’t expect the match to go only three sets; they’re a strong team,” Canino, the most consistent Alas Pilipinas standout so far, said. “Whatever happened in our previous matches were precious lessons for us.”
Kazakhstan dropped to the same record as the Philippines but lost the top spot in Pool B via the tiebreak.
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“No matter who we face in the next round, this win is a huge boost for our confidence. That’s exactly what we needed from today’s game and even from the other wins in this round. I still can’t believe it, but I’m so happy,” De Guzman said. “We’ve been looking for our rhythm throughout the tournament, and it finally clicked at the perfect time against Kazakhstan.” —WITH A REPORT FROM LANCE AGCAOILI
