Leo Ordiales made quite an impression for Alas Pilipinas in their debut loss against higher-ranked China in the 2024 AVC Challenge Cup for Men on Monday.
Despite the Philippines suffering a 19-25, 22-25, 22-25 loss to the Chinese, the 21-year-old spiker from National University gave the Filipinos in attendance at the Isa Sport City Hall in Bahrain something to celebrate.
Ordiales, the lone opposite spiker on the roster, was immediately put to the test after being included in the starting lineup – and delivered with flying colors.
He ended up with 10 points, five of which came from the opening set, on 19 attempts to lead the Philippines in scoring.
Despite his outstanding debut, the former Spikers’ Turf Best Opposite Spiker – who committed several service errors in the one-hour, 19-minute contest – acknowledged that he still has a lot of room for improvement.
He also needs to reduce his miscues moving forward.
(C) AVC
“Sobrang saya po dahil nakapag-perform naman ako kahit papaano,” said Ordiales to Tiebreaker Times. “Kailangan i-lessen lang yung errors and marami pa talaga akong kailangan i-improve para sa next game.”
The National University sophomore believes that his big performance against China will serve as a huge boost for him heading into their all-important match against Bahrain.
Ordiales, who also played in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games, said that he is eager to prove his worth to the national team.
“Gagawin ko lang po yung best ko at ipapakita ko po na kahit bata pa lang kami ay kaya rin namin mag-perform sa ganitong level ng laro,” said the 6-foot-6 wing spiker.
“Siguro po malaking boost din po ito sa akin mamaya sa laban namin. Kailangan mas maging confident pa ako sa laro ko at magtiwala sa sarili na kaya rin po naming makipagsabayan at manalo,” he added.
Alas Pilipinas, now standing at 0-1 in Pool A, must win their match against the home team on Tuesday midnight to secure a spot in the quarterfinals.
