The 2016 Philippine Superliga Beach Volleyball Challenge Cup pre-tournament favorites Norie Diaz and Pau Soriano said they are taking the competition just one step at a time, wary of the high-level competition they are facing in this year’s event.
“Maraming malakas eh, pero sabi lang namin, magtrabaho lang kami. Gawin lang namin yung elimination bago kami mangarap na makapasok sa finals. Step by step lang,” Diaz said after Standard Insurance-Navy A defeated RC Cola-Army B in a close affair, 21-18, 24-22.
Diaz said the duo only had two sessions of practice prior to Day 1 last Saturday, and they are eager to improve many aspects of their game.
“Naguusap kami in and out of the (court). Personally, nahihirapan pa ako maglagay ng bola,” Diaz said. “Nakaka dalawang practice pa lang kami.”
“Sa setting namin, medyo lumalampas, tsaka sa defensive patterns namin. Lahat kailangan pa naming i-adjust,” Diaz added.
Soriano, meanwhile, said having more teams makes the tournament more challenging because of a competitive field.
“Mas maraming mga well-known persons and may experience na sa beach volley. Nakakatuwa dahil mas competitive,” Soriano said.
Ranked as the top seed prior to the tournament, the pair hopes to bank on its previous experiences in other beach volleyball tournaments to guide them as the PSL Beach Volleyball Challenge Cup progresses.
“For me, challenge siya eh. Hindi naman bago sa amin magpartner dahil ilang tournaments din sinalihan naming dalawa as Navy. Okay naman yung kinalabasan (ng mga tournament na ‘yun),” Soriano said.
“Nandoon na rin naman yung partnership namin. Siguro may mga dapat pa kaming i-correct. Give and take naman kami sa ideas.”
“May faith naman kami. Sana makapasok kami,” Diaz closed.
