A TEAM composed of talented and dedicated players, a patient and resilient coach who carved the team from down up and a federation that brewed a program whose result won’t come overnight but already made significant progress in a three-year span.
“We’re happy for second place, we’re on the way … it’s a process,” said Brazilian head coach Jorge Souza De Brito minutes after Vietnam—a team ranked 31 rungs higher than the Philippines at No. 25 in the world—booked a clinical 25-15, 25-17, 25-14 victory in the gold medal match of the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Women’s Volleyball Nations Cup on Saturday night in Hanoi.
“With the full support of the federation, there are really good players that you have to develop and the group will become stronger and stronger year after year,” de Brito said. “I’m sure of it. It’s a process you have to go through.”
A silver that glittered like gold, the near-Cinderella finish continued to mark the country’s rise on the Asian and global volleyball stage.
“This silver medal is amazing, it means everything,” said Jia de Guzman, named Best Setter of the tournament for the second consecutive year. “It’s hard to see the growth of the sport [in the country] without this result achieved by the team.”
Since the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) took over in post-pandemic 2021, both the Alas Pilipinas men and women squads have progressed significantly under a program ably supported by the world volleyball federation called FIVB.
“The entire team, from the players to the coaches, they have progressed immensely,” said PNVF president Ramon “Tats” Suzara, who, only last August, was elected president of the AVC and was also named FIVB executive vice president. “But the entire program is a team and federation effort that couldn’t be achieved without the stakeholders.”
Senators Alan Peter and Pia Cayetano have been staunched supporters of the program and so is the private sector support from sport patron and business tycoon Manuel V. Pangilinan, Rebisco, Meralco, Mwell, PLDT Akari and Asics.
“We had to give it our best because after getting the bronze last year and the silver this time, we’re inspired to go back to training and keep working together as a team and to keep going for this long term program,” said De Guzman, who was joined in the roster of individual awardees by Angel Canino who got Best Outside Spiker and Dell Palomata the Best Middle Blocker trophy.
“Slowly but surely, we’re progressing as a country in volleyball and I’m really proud of the team, de Guzman added.
Vietnam was a class act the entire gold medal match but the Filipinas showed grit all the way—winning four and losing two matches in the entire tournament—a value de Brito said would bear more fruits in the future.
“I hope you can keep all of them because they trust the process, they are really strong and they all keep the focus even if they are not performing good, they are always trying,” he said. “And this part is important because it’s not only volleyball, you play for the flag and you show your character inside.”
“It’s something you have to grow and build for the team,” said de Brito, whose tour of duty as head coach of national women’s team under the FIVB’s Empowerment Program for its 222 member countries end with the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand in December.
When and the PNVF took over in 2021, the national women’s team was No. 156 then rose 90 rungs up in 2023 to No. 66 and last year, the country jumped to No. 58.