Japan V.League mainstay Jia de Guzman swears the presence of a pair of energetic young spikers on the Alas Pilipinas squad is the reason behind their success in beating Australia and India in the ongoing 2024 Asian Volleyball Confederation Challenge Cup at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
De Guzman was referring to Angel Canino and Eya Laure, who delivered the major blows in the Philippines’ smashing 22-25, 25-21, 25-17, 25-18 victory over India on Friday night.
Before taking on the home team, India toppled Iran and Chinese Taipei.
“They bring a different kind of power, different kind of fire and energy inside the court that (even) us seniors get carried away with it,” De Guzman, the former Creamline and Ateneo de Manila University standout said.
“It’s really a good mix of fire, energy, and composure inside the game especially we’re really working on our endgames right now.”
De Guzman, 29, also credited her squad’s quick in-game adjustments as they survived a first-set meltdown once more en route to another eye-popping win before the highly-appreciative home crowd.
“Our main focus, really, was in-game adjustments. We’re going up against teams which we haven’t faced before. We’ve only seen them in videos,” De Guzman said.
“It’s different when we face them inside the court because the other teams are also adjusting based on how we’re playing. Thankfully, our team was able to adjust right away.”
Alas Pilipinas is playing Iran, which currently holds a 1-1 record, as of press time.
Prior to the Filipino squad’s clash with Iran, Hong Kong swiftly eliminated Singapore in straight sets, 25-14, 25-12, 25-12, in Group B to boost its semifinal hopes.
Shum Lam carried out 17 attacks, while Ching Wing Lam dished out 15 points from 10 attacks and five aces in the lopsided win.
The Singaporeans, meanwhile, were all limited to single-digit scoring, as they bombed out of the semifinal race. They are set to face the bottom team in Group A to battle for ninth place.
Meanwhile, Kazakhstan notched its second win after crushing Indonesia in straight sets, 25-17, 25-13, 25-22, to share the second spot in Group B with Hong Kong with a 2-1 record.
Zanna Syroyeshkina took matters into her own hands by scoring 23 points from 19 attacks and four aces, while Sana Anarkulova chipped in nine points.
With both teams riding the momentum of their separate wins, Hong Kong and Kazakhstan face each other today at 1 p.m.
