A YOUTH-LADEN Team Philippines Rebisco provided a peek of what the future would look like after putting up a gallant stand against Kazakhstan’s Altay in the 21st Asian Women’s Club Volleyball Championship on Friday at the Terminal 21 competition hall in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.
Composed mostly of the country’s rising stars, Rebisco’s 23-25, 13-25, 17-25 loss to Altay in Pool B had a lot of upsides.
Despite the setback, things looked bright for Brazilian coach Jorge Souza de Brito’s side as the continental club competition will serve its purpose as a comprehensive platform for the young guns to shine on the international stage that Filipino volleyball fans could be proud of.
One who stood out was 19-year old open spiker Mhicaela Belen, who was fearless in battling it out against their much experienced foes in her senior debut.
Then there was Faith Nisperos, who conspired with Belen in keeping the first set close for Rebisco, as well as middle blocker Imee Hernandez, setter Kamille Cal and Bernadette Pepito, the promising libero who recently moved to the regular position being the team’s service specialist.
Jen Nierva, Rebisco’s libero, also delivered the goods with her good floor defense for the team whose participation in the tournament is backed by the Philippine Sports Commission, Rebisco, Taguig City and Asics.
After dodging the bullet in the opening set, Altay went full throttle in the next two to earn its first victory and join Thailand’s Supreme Chonburi on top of Pool B.
Kianna Dy and Majoy Baron were late additions to Team Rebisco and they didn’t disappoint.
“Stepping on the court for the first time in one-and-a-half years felt like brand new for me,” Baron said. “We needed to adjust again and I know we would have to improve our muscle memory.”
“After today’s match, Coach Jorge [Edson Souza de Brito] himself said he did not see any fear from our faces,” Baron added. “We just enjoyed our time on the court.”
Rebisco hopes to bounce back at 4:30 p.m. (Manila time) on Saturday against Supreme Chonburi, which debuted with a 25-23, 22-25, 25-13, 25-13 conquest of Iran’s Saipa in the other Pool B contest.
“Against Supreme Chonburi, I told them we will fight. I know we have a chance to do it better than before, better than today, De Brito said. “It’s just the beginning. We will take all the lessons from the first day. This is just the first step.”