PH belles tackle Japan six

The Philippine women’s volleyball team, led by team captain Aby Marano and Tribune columnist Mika Reyes (far right) join Filipino-American and Gilas Pilipinas reinforcement Jordan Clarkson (center, back row) in a light moment Sunday night during a dinner tendered for them by Philippine Olympic Committee president Ricky Vargas and Philippine Sports Commission Chairman William ‘Butch’ Ramirez. Foreign Affairs Sec. Alan Cayetano also attended. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

JAKARTA – The Philippines faces another serious test when it tackles another super team – Japan – in the preliminaries of the women’s basketball competition of the 18th Asian Games Tuesday at the Bulungan Sports Hall here.

Action starts at 4:30 p.m. (5:30 p.m.in Manila) with the Filipinas coming in without any expectations knowing the Japanese are one of the most superior teams in Asian volleyball.

Head coach Shaq Delos Santos said they will play like a sponge and absorb all the lessons they will gain from Japan, a team known for its fast-paced offense, airtight floor defense and all-around discipline.

And as a testament of their respect and admiration to Japanese volleyball, the Nationals trained in Japan for two consecutive years with noted mentor Akiyoshi Kawamoto of the Okayama Seagulls infusing his style on their defense and communication inside the court.

“Although height is a factor, you can overcome it by relying on speed and good communication inside the court,” Kawamoto told the Nationals during their training for the AVC Asian Senior Women’s Championship in Laguna and the Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur last year.

As a result of that training, Dawn Macandili emerged as the second Best Libero in the Asian Championships while Jaja Santiago was noticed by Japanese scouts and was given an invitation to play as guest player in the Japan V.Premier League.

That’s why for this tournament, the Larong Volleyball sa Pilipinas, Inc. didn’t hesitate to send the team to Japan anew to gain a ringside view on how the Japanese run their volleyball program.

From Japan, the Nationals spent a night in Manila before traveling to this bustling Indonesian capital.

China may have claimed the throne as the Olympic champion while Thailand and South Korea are slowly flourishing, but Japan still deserves mention in every conversation about the best women’s volleyball teams in Asia.

The Japanese ruled the first five editions of this prestigious quadrennial tourney and are regular fixtures in elite tourneys like the World Championships, Volleyball Nations League, World Cup and the Olympics.

The squad is also marching with a chip on its shoulder after Thailand dominated it in the bronze medal match of the previous Asian Games in Incheon in 2014.

Seasoned international campaigners Nana Iwasaki, Risa Shinnabe and Yuki Ishii remain as the leaders under the guidance of head coach Kumi Nakada.

In the opening-day salvo of the Asian Games, the troika did most of the damage as the Japanese clobbered the Indonesians, 25-20, 25-11, 25-19, to join Thailand on top of Pool A.

Delos Santos knows the Japanese are nearly indestructible so they would take the match as an opportunity to gauge their skills, preparation, strategy and overall competitiveness.

After all, it’s not every day that they get to face an elite team like the Japanese, who have already tested their mettle against other super teams like China, Serbia, United States and Brazil.

“We will study them and train hard in preparation for our match against these Japanese,” Delos Santos told Daily Tribune’s Asiad coverage supported by Primehomes after absorbing a 22-25, 12-25, 15-12 setback to Thailand in the opener.

The Thais gave the Filipinos a rude welcome into the Games after a 36-year absence.

They had an impressive start but collapsed in the final stretch of the first set as rising star Chatchu-on Moksri and Pimpichaya Kokram started to wax hot while veteran Pleumjit Thinkaow and Onuma Sittirak asserted their will over the Filipinos.

Jaja Santiago and Alyssa Valdez were the bright spots in the first set but their luster faded as Delos Santos opted to dig deep into his bench in quest of a spark.

“They made us realize that the Asian Games is no picnic,” said Delos Santos. “We still have a lot of catching up to do. We have to work hard and hope for the best. Hopefully, we can match up well against Japan. We’re looking forward to playing them in a tournament like the Asian Games.”

Aside from Santiago and Valdez, also tipped to step up are Mika Reyes, team captain Aby Marano, Kianna Dy, Kim Fajardo and Dawn Macandili.

Other members of the team are Denden Lazaro, Majoy Baron, Mylene Paat, Maika Ortiz, Dindin Santiago, Cha Cruz and Julia Morado.