Jia De Guzman has been a strong advocate for consistency within the national team.
With Alas Pilipinas retaining nearly the same core from last year’s 2024 AVC Challenge Cup bronze medal run, they used that core as the foundation for their preparation for the 2025 AVC Nations Cup.
With little to no available video footage of Mongolia’s national team, the Philippines relied heavily on their chemistry to come together in their debut match on Saturday.
Their strategy paid off as Alas Pilipinas convincingly defeated Mongolia with a 25-18, 25-16, 25-14 victory at the Dong Anh Gymnasium in Hanoi, Vietnam.
“We’re going in blind today because the latest video we could find was last year. So we just relied on our training and system today, and thankfully it went our way,” said team captain De Guzman in an interview with One Sports.
De Guzman orchestrated a balanced offense, led by Vanie Gandler, who contributed 16 points through 13 attacks, two service aces, and a block.
Angel Canino, deployed in the opposite position, scored 11 points, while Eya Laure added seven and Bella Belen chipped in six — all in the third set.
The middle blocker duo of Thea Gagate and Dell Palomata also made their presence felt, each scoring six points.
Of the 16 players representing Alas Pilipinas in this tournament, 10 were part of the national team’s historic bronze finish at last year’s Challenge Cup — the country’s first-ever medal on the continental stage.
Alongside De Guzman were Gandler, Laure, Canino, Palomata, Gagate, Jen Nierva, Dawn Catindig, Julia Coronel, and Fifi Sharma.
The Philippines aims to secure its second straight win tomorrow, Saturday, when it faces Indonesia at 1:30 PM.
Despite the demanding schedule, De Guzman and the team are already preparing by watching Indonesia’s ongoing game against Iran.
“We have to recover after today’s game. We’re going to stay here and watch the game of Indonesia, so we’ll know what we’re going against tomorrow,” said the Premier Volleyball League’s eight-time Best Setter.
