Team captain Jia De Guzman attributed her stellar playmaking in their four-set debut victory over Australia in the 2024 AVC Challenge Cup for Women to the floor and net defense of Alas Pilipinas Women’s team.
De Guzman had the task of leading a Philippines side comprising PVL and UAAP stars.
And she delivered, producing four double-digit scorers in Alas Pilipinas’ 22-25, 25-19, 25-16, 25-21 win against the Volleyroos on Thursday at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
“It wasn’t easy for me to distribute the ball as I did. If hindi pumasa nang maayos ang teammates ko, so I have to give credit to the floor defense and the net defense of the team,” said the Denso Airybees playmaker.
“We are trying to stick to a system talaga para maging madali ang buhay namin, especially going against Australia,” she added.
The eight-time PVL Best Setter maximized her weapons flawlessly, with Angel Canino and Eya Laure scoring 17 points for the Philippines.
Sisi Rondina was not far behind with 16 points, while Thea Gagate added 11 markers in the one-hour, 48-minute contest.
“It wasn’t just me, it was a total team effort talaga. I can’t do everything by myself so leadership-wise, it’s not just me, Dawn, and the seniors. It’s everyone inside the court,” said De Guzman, who scored six points in the win.
Alas Pilipinas actually shot ahead in the first set but faltered late, allowing Australia to steal the opener and take a 1-0 advantage.
However, the team adjusted quickly and ran over the Volleyroos in the next three sets to complete the come-from-behind win.
“I think it was the endgame that was our problem for us, something that we kind of expected kasi nga, ito pa lang technically ang first scrimmage, game situation na naranasan namin. That’s something we have to build over time,” said the Ateneo great.
Formed less than two weeks prior to the tournament, De Guzman said that the team is still a work in progress and that they needed to experience such situations to improve.
“It feels great. Knowing especially that we didn’t have a lot of preparations coming here today. As in, going to this game, sabi namin, ‘Regardless of what happens, as long as we leave our best on the floor, O.K. kami sa kung ano man ang result.’ Thankfully, the win went our way,” she said.
“Every game for us will be a big learning experience talaga. This win is great pero marami rin kaming mapupulot na errors, lessons that can help us achieve results in the following games. We also need to rest and recover also kasi tuloy-tuloy.”
