For Liao Yi-Jen, the 2022 Premier Volleyball League Invitational Conference was a great learning experience for the young KingWhale Taipei Squad.
The Taiwanese squad settled for a silver finish in the Invitationals after losing to the Creamline Cool Smashers in three sets in the winner-take-all finals last Sunday.
“Coming here to the Philippines, I think that every single one of the teams is very strong and did very well and it really is a learning experience for us this time,” said the KingWhale skipper after the loss.
KingWhale, though, will not go home empty-handed as Liao and Qiu Shi-Qing took home the Best Setter and Best Libero awards.
Liao said that she was surprised to win the award as she saw first-hand how talented all the setters are in the PVL.
Still, she felt grateful for the recognition and said she learned so much from going up against the likes of Rhea Dimaculangan, Jia Morado, Gel Cayuna, and Ivy Perez, to name a few.
“I completely did not expect to win the award. I think every one of the setters is very good and very unique and I really learned a lot from them,” said the 26-year-old playmaker who finished second in playmaking with 6.18 sets per frame in the semifinals.
When asked who stood out the most among all the playmakers that she went up against, Liao definitively identified Creamline’s Jia Morado.
“Creamline’s setter. She’s just amazing with how she performs.”
