After dropping their tournament opener, Bryan Bagunas made sure to show the Thais that they will not go down easily in the 2019 Thailand Open Sealect Tuna Volleyball Championships in Sisaket.
“Siyempre, unang una, inisip namin na kailangan namin maipakita talaga kung anong merong system ang Men’s Volleyball ng Pinas kaya naging ganon ang resulta,” said Bagunas, following their four-set victory against Fine Chef Phitsanulok.
“Talagang hindi na magpapahuli ang Men’s Team ng Pinas.”
Last Friday, Rebisco-Philipines fell victim to reigning Thailand League Most Valuable Player Kantapat Koonmee and the Royal Thai Air Force, losing their first game of the preliminary round and leaving their playoff hopes hanging in the balance.
The Nationals had trouble at the receiving end of the court, leaving them defenseless against Koonmee’s emphatic attacks.
“Siguro need pa talaga namin ma-improve is yung service and receive talaga,” the UAAP Season 81 Most Valuable Player opined.
With the odds turning against their favor, the 21-year-old made sure that they won’t get caught up on the same mistake twice.
The 6-foot-5 spiker out of NU was on-point against Fine Chef, unloading a team-high 22 points built on 18 attacks, two aces, and two blocks while Marck Espejo provided 15 markers for Rebisco.
“Ayun naging adjustments namin is yung service and receive namin na kailangan talaga ma-stable namin para gumanda ang execution namin, ayun naging effective din blocking namin kaya siguro kami nanalo,”
With the Nationals finally picking up their rhythm, Bagunas noticed a lot of positive points from his squad, but one that stood out for him is the team’s on-court communication.
“Unti unti kaming nabubuo talaga, habang tumatagal gumaganda na talaga yung communication namin sa loob ng court,” said Bagunas.
Rebisco finished the preliminaries with a 1-1 win-loss slate. Royal Thai Air Force must win their match against Fine Chef on July 7 to assure the Nationals a seat in the semifinals.
The top two teams from each bracket will advance to the semifinals on July 8, Monday.
