The gallant stands by the Creamline-powered Philippines against China and Vietnam did not go for naught.
Those brave performances, though both a straight sets affair in favor of the opponents, had built the confidence of the Nationals.
And on Wednesday evening, a confident Philippines finally scored a win in the 2022 PNVF AVC Cup for Women, defeating Iran, 25-19, 25-22, 20-25, 25-14.
Leading the charge, inside the taraflex and on the huddles, was veteran Michele Gumabao.
But of all the four sets, it was the third, the one the Philippines dropped, that the opposite spiker specially mentioned in the postgame interview.
“It was a good run for us, especially do’n sa third set, feeling ko do’n kami na-challenge. Pero ang saya, kasi nakabalik nahabol namin yung lamang,” said the 29-year-old La Salle product despite falling short in their comeback attempt.
The Cool Smashers - good vibes as always - did not let the downer third period affect their performance and just ran away with the win in the fourth.
And that is something Creamline takes pride in.
"Yung pinakamaganda talaga sa Creamline, nakakaadjust kami kahit anong bola, kahit anong lamang ng kalaban. Basta sinabi ni coach, mag-aadjust kami sa position, and yun yung napakita namin today,” said Gumabao, who finished with 13 points in the contest.
The Cool Smashers might have been clueless three weeks ago that they're gonna go up against the top teams in Asia, but nonetheless, they're ready for the challenge.
This is because when the country calls, they will always be ready to pick that call up and finish the business.
“Ever since, kahit anong game naman, ‘yung coaches namin is always there to remind us that we play with no pressure but with pride for the Philippines, na ilalaban namin to hanggang sa dulo," she added.
"So, every single game ibibigay lang namin yung best namin. Whatever happens, nag-eenjoy kami, nag-eensayo kami. Volleyball lang din ang nilalaro nating lahat dito, so we will just do our best and continue to improve every single game."
And there to watch the special moment of winning the country's first game were the fans who braved through the gloomy weather ever since Sunday.
With the Philippines knocking at the door of the next round, Gumabao hopes that more and more volleyball-crazed fans troop to the PhilSports Arena.
“It was very important. Sobrang thankful kami kasi ang dami talagang nanonood dito sa PhilSports. We know it’s a weekday and alam namin na very late yung game namin, pero ang dami talagang nanonood ng live. And we really hope na mas marami pang manood. Iba talaga yung manood ng live,” Gumabao expressed.
“We’re not anymore a club team – we’re representing the Philippines. So sana mas marami talagang sumuporta dito.”
A win against South Korea on Thursday will mean a quarterfinals ticket for the Philippines.
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