BACARRA, ILOCOS NORTE — Despite fielding an unheralded batch of spikers, BaliPure turned heads in the first-ever professional conference of the Premier Volleyball League.
The Water Defenders entered the tournament with Graze Bombita and Bern Flora as their top players. Still, they scored huge victories in the midst of the season, which brought them the respect they deserved.
BaliPure ended capped off the season with a win a four-set win against Perlas 24-26, 25-19, 25-17, 26-24 on Saturday — but before that, the Water Defenders managed to trip title-contender Chery Tiggo and a motivated Cignal squad.
And for Bombita, who has been the undisputed top dog of BaliPure, there can only be good things to come out from this stint.
“Sobrang saya kasi uuwi kaming masaya pa rin. Maganda pa rin’ yung naging experience namin dito sa bubble and bibitbitin namin ‘yun. Sana tuloy-tuloy talaga,” said Bombita.
“Sobra pong masaya kasi kahit isang buwan pa lang kami nagsama doon sa training namin, nakita ko na ‘yung connection ng bawat isa and paunti-unti namin nakuha yung rhythm namin sa loob ng court. Naging maganda ‘yung naging resulta namin,” she added.
Coach Rommel Abella felt satisfied with the way his wards fought overall. Still, he rued the team’s lack of consistency which eventually doomed them in the end.
“Na-satisfy naman ako, kaya lang medyo nakulangan ako sa mga talo naming. Kasi we’re almost there, hindi lang kami maka-get over the hump,” admitted Abella.
“Parang lalamang kami, magbibigay kami, ‘yung maturity wala pa at consistency wala pa, which is ‘yun ang hinahanap na namin.”
With the league planning to hold a second conference this year, Abella said that he will sit down with BaliPure’s top brass to evaluate team’s performance once he returns to Manila.
“Nag-usap na kami ni Sir Gil [Cortez] kaninang umaga but sabi niya usap na lang kami after the season ‘pag balik na namin ng Manila saka kami maguusap,” he said.
“Hopefully, matuloy ‘yung second conference at sana maayos ‘yung kalagayan natin sa Manila pagbalik.”
