BY BETHEENA KAI UNITE
THE Philippine women’s volleyball team dropped its first game in the Southeast Asian Games against Vietnam in a five-set thriller in a match witnessed by a mammoth crowd Tuesday at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
National team standouts Alyssa Valdez, Ces Molina, Jovelyn Gonzaga, and Majoy Baron did their best but the taller Vietnamese squad proved steadier in the crunch and eked out a 21-25, 25-23, 25-19, 20-25, 15-8.
Vietnam’s Thi Than Thuy Tran carried her team on her back as she exploded for 27 points, mostly off attacks.
Valdez was also impressive, scattering 22 points spiked by two service aces, while Molina, Gonzaga, and ASEAN Grand Prix best middle blocker Baron combined for 34 points.
Egged on by the wildly-cheering crowd, the Nationals heightened the action-packed game when they tied the count at 6-all in the deciding fifth set only to lose steam in the end.
Despite the loss, PH coach Shaq delos Santos saw some positives, but they better hurry since the four-nation event is a short one.
“I think meron kaming magandandang naging performance but siyempre medyo na-short. Hindi maganda yung result pero lesson learned para sa amin and siyempre kailangan namin paghandaan yung mga next game naming,” said delos Santos.
Valdez, on the other hand, stressed that Vietnam’s experience weighed in heavily.
“Kinulang sabi nga ni coach, kinapos kami talaga sa dulo, we had a good fight from the first set to the fourth set but I guess, experience will play a big role during the fifth set and sa dami siguro ng laro ng Vietnam for the longest time na international competitions na medyo ngayon hinahabol natin as a national team,” Valdez said.
“We’re thinking positively naman sa game simula pa lang so we can’t drag ourselves down. So, kailangan positive pa rin,” she added.
Marano, the team captain who chipped in five points, also believed they will learn from the setback.
But in today’s match against Thailand – the region’s undisputed No. 1 – the Nationals need more than a good form to pull off an upset.