In the face of the reigning volleyball queens of Southeast Asia Thailand, Jasmine Nabor orchestrated the offense for the undermanned Philippine Women’s National Volleyball Team in her lonesome, Saturday.
Without main setter Jia Morado, Nabor shouldered the playmaking responsibilities. And she did so with a depleted arsenal at her disposal, as the Nationals played sans prolific scorers Alyssa Valdez, Maddie Madayag and Jovelyn Gonzaga — all of whom had suited up for their club teams in Iloilo.
The 21-year-old playmaker delivered the goods to the best of her abilities, putting up 13 excellent sets. Still, the Filipinas gave in to the brilliance of the Thais in the end.
Nabor took the crushing loss to the volleyball powerhouse in stride, though. Rather than moping, she sees it as a valuable learning experience that can make her a better player.
“Para sa akin sobrang laking tulong sa akin ng game kanina. Parang ang dami kong natutunan,” the native of Tarlac confessed.
Besides the precious minutes she experienced on the court against one of the strongest teams in the region, Nabor also relished her rare encounter with battle-tested setter Pornpun Guedpard.
“Sobrang nakaka-amaze kasi sobrang hasa na siya, tapos kilalang-kilala na niya yung teammates niya. So yun yung kailangan ko matutunan,” she admitted about facing Pornpun, who linked up with another Thai orchestrator in Gullapa Piampomgsan for a combined 22 excellent sets.
Suiting up for just her second tour of national duty following her stint in the 2018 Asian Women’s Volleyball Cup, Nabor soaked in every knowledge she could from the experience. And she’s looking to put all of that to use for the betterment of the Philippines, which seeks to close out the tourney on a high note against Indonesia on Sunday, October 6.
“So, kailangan ko pang mag-aral nang mag-aral; mag-training nang magtraining; at tsaka pag aralan yung mga play ng kakampi ko.”
