THE Philippines will face stiff competition in Pool C winners Japan and Chinese Taipei in the second round of the 2015 Asian Women’s Under-23 Championship, which starts on Monday at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.
After punching its ticket into the tournament’s second round robin following an upset straight-sets win over Kazakhstan last Saturday, the nationals will carry their Pool A record of 1-1 (won-lost) when they take on two of the tournament’s toughest teams and aim for a favorable seeding entering the knockout phase on Thursday.
First up for the Philippine volleybelles is their matchup against Pool C winner Japan at 2 p.m. on Monday, followed by a date with Chinese Taipei at 12 noon on Tuesday.
With Iran winning in five sets, 25-20, 18-25, 25-19, 14-25, 15-13, during Sunday’s final Pool A match, the host’s contingent fell to second place due to the Persians’ more superior 2-0 (won-lost) mark for five points and thus drawing one of the tournament’s favored squads in Japan to kick off their second-round campaign.
National team Coach Roger Gorayeb said they expect to face more stringent competition against seasoned teams in the region, in stark contrast to their maiden matches of the tournament thus far.
“We started na maganda ang laro namin [against Iran], and then nag-improve kami [against Kazakhstan]. But it will be a very, very, very, very tough match against either Japan or Chinese Taipei. Wala kaming mapagpipilian diyan…malakas talaga sila. Pero kasi ang gusto namin, tumaas ‘yung level ng laro,” noted Gorayeb with a laugh.
Gorayeb then turned serious, noting that the team defied the odds just by qualifying through the next stage against the competition in Pool A, and now facing the giants of Pool C prior to the knockout phase.
“The odds were against us [from] the drawing of lots, napunta tayo sa malalaking teams na ito. Tapos sa schedule, hindi namin mai-scout ang mga teams [Iran and Kazakhstan]. ‘Yung adjustments namin, ginawa namin during the game mismo. Palagay ko we earned the respect from everybody,” he added.
Meanwhile, team captain Alyssa Valdez reassured that she is ready to play through the pain with heavy tape on her injured right thumb, despite Gorayeb expressing his concern on the University Athletic Association of the Philippines’s reigning Most Valuable Player.
“Everything ginagawa namin, ng physical therapist namin at ng coaches para makapag-adjust kami. Adrenaline na siguro ito, pero iba ‘yung pain pag naglalaro ka with teammates na inspired. We just play, and lahat na sina-sacrifice namin will be worth it,” Valdez said.
Image credits: Kevin De la Cruz