It’s a key component when competing internationally, like in the SEA Games.
The Philippines' bid to make it to the gold medal game of the women’s indoor volleyball tournament of the 32nd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games was halted on Saturday.
In the semifinals, the reigning champs proved to be too much to handle as they turned back the Alyssa Valdez-captained squad via straight sets. All is not lost, however, as the Philippine contingent still has a chance to take home the bronze medal.
The conclusive defeat against the perennial champions, in addition, served as a valuable learning experience for the Filipino spikers. For star setter Jia de Guzman, it allowed her to see what the Philippine team needs to work on to succeed against other nations in Southeast Asian volleyball.
One is continuity.
"A lot of things change all the time in the national team," de Guzman told One Sports' Denise Tan on Saturday. "Honestly, that's one of the struggles that we have."
The eight-time PVL Best Setter pinpointed that stability is a strength of powerhouse volleyball programs like Thailand.
"They're the same teams that we go up against for so many years, and us, we keep changing."
Continuity is indeed a key to success in any sports program. And those who commit to the volleyball squad, like de Guzman, are hoping to get exactly that.
"Everyone who comes here in the national team just wants to give their best. But if we want to better our chances, we need a long-term program and everything. So, that's what we're hoping for," she said.
The former Ateneo Blue Eagles standout also touched on the technical side of the game in terms of areas for improvement.
“We were out-received and out-dug by Thailand. Kasi in Southeast Asian Games it’s really important to have good, steady floor defense kasi that’s the first ball. That’s the start of every rally of every point,”
“That’s something that we’re taking away from this game,” added de Guzman.
Volleyball fans sure hope that Jia's call does not fall on deaf ears.
In the meantime, the women's volleyball team must focus on performing better tonight as they are set to face Indonesia in the battle for bronze. The match takes place at 6:00 p.m.
(With reports from Denise Tan, One Sports)
(GM)