Chemistry served as the key that led to the successful stint of the national women's team in the 2022 Asian Volleyball Confederation Cup for Women.

Skipper Jia de Guzman said their chemistry and familiarity with the system played a crucial role that led to their sixth-place finish in this prestigious continental tourney that came to a close Monday at the Philsports Arena.

Powerhouse Japan ruled the tourney following a four-set victory over China in the gold medal match. Thailand came in third while Vietnam finished fourth.

The Nationals had a chance to grab the fifth place, but they suffered a straight-set loss to Chinese Taipei in the classification phase of this nine-team tourney.

Still, De Guzman said they have nothing to be ashamed of.

"Sixth place here is a big improvement," she said, adding that longer preparation could have helped them gain a better performance.

"But the answer here is long-term system and the preparation for these contests should be for the long term."

True enough, the Nationals were given a very limited time to prepare.

Actually, the distinction of representing the country belongs to the national squad, but the Philippine National Volleyball Federation made a sudden change of heart and decided to field the champion of the Premier Volleyball League, which happened to be Creamline.

The Cool Smashers were given only few days of preparation with their top spiker, Alyssa Valdez, begging off after contracting dengue while Risa Sato was placed under health protocols.

Even De Guzman and head coach Sherwin Meneses missed their first game against Vietnam as they were also placed in isolation.

Although the Nationals lost to Vietnam and China in straight sets, their chemistry and familiarity was in full display in yielding a four-set loss to Iran and sweeping a young South Korean squad to advance to the quarterfinals.