Alas Pilipinas head coach Jorge De Brito is optimistic for the program's progress after a historic silver medal at the AVC Nations Cup.
Elated but never satisfied is how Alas Pilipinas approach their historic campaign at the AVC Nations Cup, where they clinched the country’s first-ever silver medal finish at an AVC-sanctioned event.
Following a stellar outing last year in the same tournament held in Manila, Alas followed it up with a second act that surpassed expectations and the 2024 result — moving up one step in the podium.
With fans and the community abuzz with excitement, head coach Jorge De Brito said that the steady rise of Alas Pilipinas is all part of the process that the team needs to go through as they aim for consistency and growth in Philippine volleyball.
[READ: Alas Pilipinas take historic silver as Vietnam completes AVC Nations Cup 3-peat]
“We are happy for the second place, we’re on the way. It’s a process. I’m happy and proud for all the players and the coaching staff, all the support that we have also from federation. It’s really amazing,” De Brito said after the awarding ceremony in Hanoi on Saturday.
“This time that we have with them, and you see, there’s a lot of new values, really really good players that you have to develop here, and the group is becoming stronger and stronger. Year after year. I’m sure of it. It’s a process we have to go through.”
Since De Brito took over the program in 2021, the team has been steadily gaining good results even with roster turnover. Under the Alas banner, the national team first won bronze in the AVC Challenge Cup (now Nations Cup), and was on the podium in the SEA V.League.
Focusing on a younger pool and working their way up, De Brito is happy to see his team continue to subscribe to his system. In turn, results have started to show for the team.
“They are amazing. I hope we can keep all of them because you know, they trust the process, they are really strong and they keep the focus even when they’re not performing good, they’re always trying,” said De Brito.
“This is what’s important because it’s not only volleyball. We play for the flag and also we show our character inside. It’s something that you have to grow and build for the team,” he added.
Apart from another podium finish for the team, three Alas players also ended up bagging individual awards, with Jia De Guzman being named Best Setter for the second year in a row.
[RELATED: Jia De Guzman happy to see results reflect Alas Pilipinas' growth with AVC Nations Cup silver]
Angel Canino, for her part, followed up her Best Opposite Spiker award last year with a citation for being one of two Best Outside Hitters this time around. Dell Palomata was also named one of the Best Middle Blockers in the tournament.