Alas Pilipinas women celebrate a point during the AVC Nations Cup semifinals against Chinese Taipei. The Filipinos advanced to the final. –AVC PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — After a first-ever Asian Volleyball Confederation Women’s Nations Cup silver medal, Alas Pilipinas remains laser-sharp focused on ending the country’s 20-year Southeast Asian Games medal drought in Thailand in December.
Alas made it to the AVC finals for the first time in 64 years and got swept by three-peat champion Vietnam, 25-15, 25-17, 25-14, in Hanoi on Saturday.
READ: Jia De Guzman relishes Alas Pilipinas growth after AVC feat
But the sky is the limit for Alas, which seeks more growth and improvement under the guidance of Brazilian coach Jorge Souza De Brito and leadership of captain Jia De Guzman.
De Brito will continue to maximize Alas’ preparations for the 33rd SEA Games as they bid to win the Philippines its first medal since bagging the bronze in 2005 in Bacolod under coach Ramil De Jesus.
“Of course, we’re fighting for this, but those are gonna be hard because all of those top teams [Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia]. Of course, we’re gonna play with pride and expectations are getting high because we’re getting the results now but it’s gonna be hard. We will prepare for this moment,” said De Brito during the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum on Tuesday at the conference hall of Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.
De Guzman, who won her second straight Nations Cup Best Setter, believes tougher challenges await as they continue to scale greater heights after surpassing last year’s bronze medal in the AVC.
“There’s a lot of pressure to produce more results especially now we’re reaching heights that we haven’t reached before. Other teams are also preparing well for this competition. Vietnam is also leveling up and Indonesia, with training camps abroad,” said De Guzman.
READ: ‘Serious contender’ Alas Pilipinas draws high praise from Vietnam coach
“We’re trying to keep the team very grounded and humble despite the success. Number one is to trust the process, trust coach’s system, trust each other, and just keep showing up each day to be better.”
De Guzman admitted there’s a huge gap between the Philippines and regional powerhouses Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia.
But by gaining international experience and exposure, Alas is slowly but surely catching up.
“We just have to stick to the program, because if we do, I have no doubt that one day, we will reach that level also. They’re may be ahead of us but that doesn’t mean we won’t be able to get to them,” said De Guzman. “They recognized that the Philippines is growing, and we have to take advantage of that fact, kasi the fact that they are saying that, it means we’re starting to become a threat.”
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Alas, which rose 10 spots to world No. 46, is set for another stint overseas, returning to Vietnam for the VTV Cup later this month before the SEA V.League in August.
