Alas Pilipinas team captain Jia De Guzman was quick to share credit with her teammates after receiving praise from Thailand head coach Kiattipong Radchatagriengkai on Thursday night.
“Well, I wouldn’t be able to do my job if hindi rin gumawa ‘yung mga teammates ko,” said the 30-year-old playmaker in an interview with One Sports.
De Guzman’s steady playmaking stood out as one of the few bright spots in Alas Pilipinas’ debut loss to Thailand in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games, earning admiration from Radchatagriengkai, who praised the eight-time PVL Best Setter after the match.
Her ball distribution, combined with her leadership, proved key in the Philippines’ turnaround after a lopsided first-set loss, allowing them to make the second and third sets competitive.
The 59-year-old coach — who led Thailand to six consecutive gold medals from 2001 to 2011 before returning to guide the squad for this edition — also commended Angel Canino as well as the Alas’ middle blocker rotation of Amie Provido, Maddie Madayag, and Dell Palomata.
(C) POC Media
“So many players, setter I love. [The] setter is very good. Also number 12, very nice. And also middle blocker, all of them, they are very good,” said Radchatagriengkai in a separate interview with One Sports.
“Today we played with Philippines, it’s very hard for us, not so easy. In every point, every ball, every skill, we’re serious and focused on ourselves. We [did] not too much focus on the Philippine team, but anyway the serve of the Philippine [was] very good, [the] attack, also blocking. System very good,” he added, noting the Philippines’ growth over the past years.
For her part, De Guzman said she could not have done her job without her teammates, praising their first touch as very good and essential to the team’s play.
“From the first touch, talagang ‘yung magagawa ko lang is to set up the spikers with what I get. And ‘yung reception namin, ‘yung first touch namin today, very good talaga. We’ll try to do our best moving forward pa,” said the Creamline star.
Regarding the debut loss to Thailand, De Guzman said the team will embrace every improvement, no matter how small, as it is essential to achieving their long-term goals. Going toe-to-toe against the World No. 18 squad — even if only for brief stretches — was an invaluable experience the team can learn from.
“Well, we are gonna take that. Syempre, even if it’s the smallest improvement we will take that,” said De Guzman, who had three points against Thailand.
“Pero again, hindi naman ibig sabihin na nag-i-improve kami, mag-sa-stop na. Even Thailand is improving with what kind of a powerhouse they’ve been these past years. They’re still improving because they are continuing their program, they’re giving preparation for this,” she continued.
“So with us naman, we’re hoping to get that but right now this is our situation. Every game we want to improve, every set we want to improve, nakikita naman from the first set, to the second set, to the third set, we’re getting our groove back.”
With lessons learned from their loss to Thailand, De Guzman and the team now turn their focus to a crucial clash against Singapore, knowing that a win will put them in the SEA Games semifinals.
