A refreshed Rebisco PSL-Manila gears up for a tough battle against 2017 Volleyball Thailand League Champions Supreme Chonburi on Monday at the start of the classification phase of the 2017 AVC Asian Women’s Club Volleyball Championships in Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan. Game time is at 4:00pm.
National team head coach Francis Vicente stressed to his team to put the results of the group stage behind them and be motivated in putting up a gallant fight against the unbeaten Thai club.
“Let’s be motivated by those negative comments we get from people, let’s use it positively,” said Vicente in reference to the criticisms they got over the internet.
“We will fight. Be positive and optimistic.”
Led by Pleumjit Thinkaow, Supreme Chonburi swept Group A, beating hosts Altay, 2016 Enterprise Volleyball League Champions Taiwan Power, and 2016 Iranian Volleyball League Champions Sarmayeh Bank.
On the other hand, Rebisco-PSL Manila had a bull session after its 8-25, 10-25, 9-25 beating from Tianjin Bohai Bank, Saturday afternoon where players voiced out their thoughts on their campaign so far.
Vicente said the 14 members of the Rebisco-PSL Manila were low in spirits during the Tianjin match but lauded how the squad banded together afterwards.
Wanting to bounce back, the Rebisco spikers held practice Sunday morning even if the tournament took a day-off from action.
Team captain Rachel Daquis, Aby Marano, and Jovelyn Gonzaga also helped in giving pep talk to the members of the Rebisco club, most of them will form the national team to the the Southeast Asian Games and Asian Seniors.
“The reporters asked me why the team is always smiling and always celebrating our points,” said Daquis after getting interviewed by foreign press.
“I told them that’s our nature. We always have positive aura.”
The Philippines, whose best finish in the tournament was seventh during last year’s tournament, will have three more games in a hope to duplicate its performance.
