It wasn’t pretty, but the Bali Pure Purest Water Defenders scrambled their way into the Premier Volleyball League Open Conference semifinals.
For much of the elimination round, Bali Pure had been thwarting themselves. They had several matches that could have gone their way, but their own errors or sudden drop in play hindered their path to a win.
With their season hanging in the balance, the Water Defenders mustered a gutsy performance against rivals and defending champions Pocari Sweat.
Now, head coach Roger Gorayeb hopes to see the same Water Defenders in the semifinals where they take on top-seeded Creamline Cool Smashers in a best-of-three series.
“Maganda nilaro ng mga bata ngayon. Ganoon dapat ang nilalaro namin dati pa kaya nagpapasalamat ako na lumabas ‘yan ngayon,” Gorayeb said.
“Best effort ang kailangan namin going to the top 4. Malaking bagay sa amin siguro itong linggo na ‘to. ‘Di ko kasi alam. ‘Di ko ma-ensayo sa ensayo na gusto ko ang mga bata kasi nagpapractice pa sila sa college team nila,” he added as most of his players still compete in collegiate leagues.
Aside from their own play, Gorayeb is looking to take advantage of whoever plays for Creamline when the series begins on Saturday. As of writing, Creamline star Alyssa Valdez’s availability is still doubtful for Game One as she is still away in Japan training with the National Team.
“Kapag ‘di nakalaro si Alyssa, samantalahin namin kasi, kung ganito nilalaro namin, di namin masabi kung paano kami maglalaro against Creamline. Ngayon, ‘di namin tinitignan sa Creamline kung andun si Alyssa.
“As a volleyball player, kailangan consistent ang ilalaro nila kahit sino pang katapat nila,” Gorayeb stated. “I respect Alyssa a lot, tatlong taong siyang naglaro sa akin. Marami naman siyang kakampi, magkakaroon ng butas diyan and dun namin ika-capitalize. Sana the breaks of the game go our way.”
