The Philippine Air Force Jet Spikers were out of shape and were gutted when they finished the 2015 PSL Grand Prix in last place.
Losing their two best players, Rhea Dimaculangan and Maika Ortiz, Air Force were also expected to hit the bottom of the standings in the Shakey’s V-League Open Conference.
Former Air Force Jet Spiker Rhea Dimaculangan
But the Jet Spikers were pesky, in shape, and were just ready for every foe they faced. They finished the elimination round in first place and barged into the Finals.
Facing a well-oiled Pocari Sweat machine, Air Force pulled Game One out of the clutches of defeat and took the series lead before sputtering out in the next two matches.
Although his team finished second, head coach Jasper Jimenez is still proud of their accomplishment through the complete overhaul of the team.
“Talagang big question mark sa amin (kung paano kami maglalaro ngayon) ang daming nawala sa amin. Dahil na rin siguro sa hardwork namin, sa disiplina nila kaya kami nakaabot dito. Ang in-expect talaga namin is Top 4 lang.”
“Bonus na lang ‘to sa amin. Wala talagang imposible kapag sama-sama tayo,” Jimenez remarked.
“Naging advantage talaga sa kanila (Pocari) yung resilience nila – kapag pinapanalo mo sila ng isang set nagkakaroon ng lakas ng loob. I’m still very proud and thankful na hindi kami basta nagpatalo. Lumaban kami. Babawi na lang kami sa susunod,” Jimenez lamented.
Jimenez is now setting his focus on the AFP Olympics, the highly-competitive tournament between the country’s armed forces.
“Back to zero kami kasi maghahanda kami sa AFP Olympics. ‘Yun talaga ang main tournament.”
“This Shakey’s is a bonus for us. First time lang kami nagsama-sama. Nakita namin na kaya pala namin, nagtiwala kami sa isa’t isa.”
“Kailangan talaga namin ayusin pa ‘yung nga errors namin. Kaya pa sana namin kanina, ang dami naming pinamigay na puntos. Sana din maidagdag na namin sila Del Palomata at maibalik namin si Maika Ortiz for coming seasons,” he concluded.
