Sisi Rondina swears the hastily-formed Alas Pilipinas can stand toe-to-toe with Australia as the host country kicks off its bold bid in 2024 AVC Challenge Cup on Thursday at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila.
Rondina said she already saw the Australians in a previous international event and she was convinced that they can stand their ground against their taller, heftier foes in this prestigious continental event that serves as a qualifier for the FIVB Challenger Cup in July.
“I saw Australia earlier, we matched up with them during the (2023) VTV International Women’s Volleyball Cup, so for me, individually, we’ll get through it. And we believe in each other, especially (with) the kids,” said Rondina, the heart and soul of Premier Volleyball League (PVL) runner-up Choco Mucho.
Other than Rondina’s familiarity with the Australian’s brand of play, sheer Philippine pride could alter the landscape of the 7 p.m. clash.
Alas Pilipinas team captain Jia de Guzman said all of them are determined to pull off a shocking upset of the Australians in front of their countrymen.
“The team is very eager. Every member is ready to step up for the flag. Every training, from start to finish everyone just plays strong,” De Guzman said.
The Filipinas are composed of other PVL stars like Eya Laure, Fifi Sharma, Dawn Macandili-Catindig, Jen Nierva, Faith Nisperos, Dell Palomata and Cherry Nunag.
Outgoing Brazilian national head coach Jorge Edson Souza De Brito finalized the lineup and he also included University Athletic Association of the Philippines standouts such as Angel Canino, Thea Gagate, Julia Coronel and Arah Panique.
“Here, we don’t see seniors and young players. Everyone is on an equal level. So, whether I’m the team captain, I’m the setter, but if there’s any adjustments that need to be made, we’re open for that,” De Guzman added.
“So that’s one way for us to prepare better for the upcoming competition, especially when we’re going up against countries that have trained together for years, for months. Compared to us that had just been put together recently.”
Despite only starting their training on Thursday last week, the Alas Pilipinas is ready to accept the challenge of facing other teams with better chemistry.
“As everyone mentioned, we’re only given limited time to prepare, so that was the card that we were dealt with, so we’re just gonna make the most out of what we have,” Sharma said.
The 5-foot-11 middle blocker from Akari also believes the experience they will get from clashing with more dominant teams will benefit Philippine volleyball in the long run.
“It’s such an honor and privilege to be a part of this team, because this is the highest level of play here in this country, and it’s a good experience also for the team, because we get to be exposed to, like, more talented teams. That’s the standard the Philippines has to achieve. “
After the Australians, Alas Pilipinas will also battle India, Iran and Chinese Taipei in a quest to make the grade for the Challenger Cup that offers a slot in the prestigious Volleyball Nations League.
Meanwhile, defending champion Vietnam puts its title defense in motion during the inaugurals Wednesday against former titleholder Hong Kong at 4 p.m.
Singapore and Kazakhstan open the competition at 10 a.m. followed by Iran and India at 1 p.m. Australia and Chinese-Taipei cap the day’s action with a showdown at 7 p.m.
