Expectations are sky-high for Alas Pilipinas Men heading into the 33rd Southeast Asian Games.
After their historic run in the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship, many fans have begun treating a gold medal as if it’s already guaranteed. Naturally, it seems like the next step for a team that stunned the volleyball world just months ago.
But for setter Owa Retamar, nothing could be farther from the truth.
“Napag-usapan na rin namin yan,” Retamar said during the Philippine National Volleyball Federation send-off last Saturday.
“Kinausap din kami ni Coach Angiolino (Frigoni) na, sinabi niya nga sa amin na maraming tao ang nagi-expect na automatic gold tayo.”
Inside the team, he said, they’ve already discussed the growing perception that the Philippines is an automatic favorite.
While they appreciate the overwhelming support, the 25-year-old playmaker knows success won’t come from reputation alone.
It will heavily depend on how well they work together — how sharp their communication is on the court, how quickly they adjust, and how prepared they are when opponents begin scouting their tendencies.
“But nasa amin pa rin yun kung paano kami magwo-work as a team, yung communication namin inside the court and ano pa ba yung pwede naming i-training. Para kung ma-scout kami ng ibang teams, may iba kaming tina-try,” said Retamar.
Alas Men have made their own adjustments, from roster tweaks to refining how they run their system. Retamar, however, knows their competitors have been doing the same over the past months.
For him, that leaves only one path forward — to focus on themselves.
With the SEA Games drawing near, Retamar believes their attention must remain on entering Bangkok fully prepared for whatever awaits, especially with Myanmar and defending champion Indonesia looming in Pool B.
“Yes, mataas ang expectations. Pero focus lang kami sa team namin, kung ano ang gagawin namin bawat game, sa bawat team na makakalaban namin,” said the former National University star.
“Siyempre familiar na kami sa mga makakalaban namin. May mga bagong players sila, may bagong players din sa amin. Ang importante na lang rito is paano kami maga-adjust sa bawat situation sa bawat game.”
