Jasper Jimenez paced the sidelines frantically, breaking off into a sprint towards his bench when Joy Cases delivered a thunderous spike. Jimenez gave every member of the team a high five before lashing out a fist pump.
His Air Force Jet Spikers had extended the match to five sets and, by the way he reacted, Jimenez seemed more a fan than a coach.
But poise and calmness were never in Jimenez’s vocabulary – the Air Force head coach wore his heart on his sleeve. When his team did well, Jimenez burst with roars unwieldy high fives. When his team flopped, Jimenez was a picture of disappointment complete with head scratches and a Duterte-like hand to his chin.
But Jimenez was nothing but elated after Game One of the Shakey’s V-League Open Conference Finals. The Jet Spikers pulled themselves out of a perilous tailspin in the fourth set and dominated the fifth frame.
Just one win away from Air Force’s first women’s commercial league championship, Jimenez could barely be pulled away from the celebration that descended on the court after the match.
“Masaya pero hindi pa ‘to tapos,” Jimenez shared.
“Hindi basta-basta ibibigay ‘to sa amin. Kailangan namin paghirapan parang kanina lang.”
Jimenez lauded his team’s focus and trust. At one point, Air Force was down 18-22 in the fourth frame but managed to crawl back and win a deuce.
“Ganiyan naman talaga ang ineensayo namin. Sinasanay namin sila sa mga matatagal na laban,” he shared. “Basta magtiwala lang kami sa depensa namin, lagi kaming may pag-asa.”
Air Force had a horrid run in commercial leagues before this SVL season. Just last December, the Jet Spikers finished dead last in the Philippine Superliga Grand Prix. Then, they had two National Team stalwarts in Maika Ortiz and Rhea Dimaculangan, both of whom left the team after the tournament.
Gutted, the new-look Air Force found new heroes in Wendy Semana, Jocemer Tapic, Joy Cases, and plenty of others. The arrival of coach Jimenez also brought new perspective for the ailing squad.
Game One heroine Wendy Semana
“Talagang maraming nagbago noong si coach Jasper na ang pumalit,” said veteran Judy Caballejo. “Bukod sa type ng training na ginagawa namin, ramdam mo talaga ‘yung pagiging tatay niya sa team. Kapag may problema kami, lagi siyang willing makinig.”
“Malaki ang pasalamat ko kay coach sa tiwala na binigay niya sa akin,” said setter Wendy Semana who has received Best Setter buzz for her rejuvenated performance.
“Lagi lang niya ako ine-encourage kapag nagkakamali ako. As a player, tiwala lang naman talaga ang hihilingin mo sa coach.”
On Saturday, Air Force will stand just three more set wins away from glory. If the balloons do fall and confetti flutter down from the PhilSports Arena rafters, Jimenez, for sure, will party harder than his wards.
