Alyssa Valdez and the Philippine Women’s National Volleyball Team suffered a heartbreaker against Indonesia on Sunday, settling for another bronze medal finish in the ASEAN Grand Prix.
The 26-year-old Valdez chose to accept the crushing result in stride, though; and instead, uses it as an opportunity to pinpoint the aspects of their game that they can still improve.
“It’s saddening that we got the loss. But I think it’s one way of seeing also what other things to improve on as a team and as a player,” the perennial flagbearer admitted.
“So we’re really looking forward to the positive things na mangyayari pa sa team.”
Their efforts haven’t resulted in fruits of gold nor silver in recent tournaments, however. Still, the Nationals have kept their buildup to the Southeast Asian Games at full throttle.
For the past few months, the contingents of the Philippines have taken part in an extensive training camp in Thailand before participating in two sequential legs of the ASEAN Grand Prix.
During that stretch, the Filipinas were able to put their abilities to the test — as well as their chemistry and mettle — against some of the finest volleyball programs in the region. They faced the likes of the Toray Arrows, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand’s Under-23, and seniors’ squads, to name a few.
The experiences the national team have gained brought plenty of upsides to its bid for gold in the biennial regional meet come November. Even the loss against Indonesia made Valdez and her sisters-in-arms realize that proper preparation really is the key to reach greater heights.
“At the end of the day, ang masasabi ko lang [na] everyone really put in all the effort needed. But kinulang, kinapos kasi it’s really the preparation that we’re lacking,” Valdez bared moments after the awarding ceremonies of the second leg of the regional meet. “So hopefully for the next two months, we’re really positive na magagawa namin ‘yung mga dapat naming gawin para mas maganda ‘yung showing namin sa SEA Games.
She then added, “Isa lang masasabi ko talaga — ‘yung puso ng bawat isa nandoon talaga.
“So kung may training and may puso, malalayo talaga ang mararating natin.”
