In a thrilling four-set debut victory over Australia at the 2024 AVC Challenge Cup for Women, team captain Jia De Guzman credited her exceptional playmaking to the stellar floor and net defense of the Alas Pilipinas Women’s team.
De Guzman, tasked with leading a Philippines squad featuring stars from the PVL and UAAP, orchestrated a well-balanced attack that led to four double-digit scorers. The Philippines triumphed over the Volleyroos 22-25, 25-19, 25-16, 25-21 on Thursday at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
“It wasn't easy for me to distribute the ball as I did. If hindi pumasa nang maayos ang teammates ko, so I have to give credit to the floor defense and the net defense of the team,” said the Denso Airybees playmaker.
“We are trying to stick to a system talaga para maging madali ang buhay namin, especially going against Australia,” she added.
The eight-time PVL Best Setter expertly utilized her teammates, with Angel Canino and Eya Laure each contributing 17 points. Sisi Rondina followed closely with 16 points, and Thea Gagate added 11 markers in the match that lasted one hour and 48 minutes.
“It wasn't just me, it was a total team effort talaga. I can't do everything by myself so leadership-wise, it's not just me, Dawn, and the seniors. It's everyone inside the court,” said De Guzman, who scored six points in the win.
Despite an early setback where the Philippines lost the first set after leading, the team quickly adapted and dominated the next three sets to secure a come-from-behind victory.
“I think it was the endgame that was our problem for us, something that we kind of expected kasi nga, ito pa lang technically ang first scrimmage, game situation na naranasan namin. That's something we have to build over time,” said the Ateneo great.
Formed less than two weeks prior to the tournament, De Guzman acknowledged that the team is still a work in progress and needed to face challenging situations to improve.
“It feels great. Knowing especially that we didn't have a lot of preparations coming here today. As in, going to this game, sabi namin, 'Regardless of what happens, as long as we leave our best on the floor, O.K. kami sa kung ano man ang result.' Thankfully, the win went our way,” she said.
“Every game for us will be a big learning experience talaga. This win is great pero marami rin kaming mapupulot na errors, lessons that can help us achieve results in the following games. We also need to rest and recover also kasi tuloy-tuloy."
With this victory, Alas Pilipinas aims to build momentum and continue learning from each match, hoping to achieve greater results as the tournament progresses.
