Thi Bich Tuyen Nguyen (No. 10) led Vietnam against the Philippines. —AUGUST DELA CRUZ
Alas Pilipinas coach Jorge Souza De Brito thinks that the way forward for women’s volleyball is for the national program to eliminate a longstanding problem.
“What we really have to do is this training camp in Japan will help us but also we need to have our players more time together to work so we can add something in the system that would be applicable,” De Brito said after the national team dropped a 25-14, 25-22, 25-21 decision on Friday to Southeast Asian (SEA) powerhouse Vietnam in the FIVB Women’s Volleyball Challenger Cup at Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Alas Pilipinas will have a two-week training camp in Japan starting on July 14 before the team faces SEA Games rivals in the SEA V.League in August.
“Hopefully, we can keep these players since we have 14 days in Japan to practice. We’ll be better, you can make some changes, chemistry will be better because every single day we’ll train together two times a day.”
National team skipper Jia De Guzman also believes in the improvement that can be gained from keeping the national pool core intact.
“We’re going against teams which already grew old with their national teams so for us, our goal is to also grow old together in the national team,” the crafty setter said.
“That’s how longevity [happens], that’s how you build chemistry, that’s how you build a strong team in the long run,” the seasoned playmaker added after Alas finished seventh in the eight-team tourney, just above Argentina.
Keeping players together for continuity has been a problem for high-profile national programs like basketball and volleyball, especially with talents signed to professional clubs or school teams.
From De Brito’s current team alone, standouts Eya Laure and Jen Nierva were not allowed by their PVL club, Chery Tiggo, to join national team practices.
What De Brito hopes is that there will be some sort of agreement that will allow the national pool members to continuously train with the program without interruptions.
“We need the support from the fans, clubs, companies, UAAP board, PVL board and team owners,” he said. “All of us are part of the Philippine environment so we need to work together. We’re not gonna win, we’re not get better without the support.”
“We can’t expect that after one loss, one adversity, we need to switch it up immediately. [We need] to keep the same people, add new people, reinforce the team,” De Guzman said. “That’s how you make a team strong. So hopefully, that’s really what we will achieve.”
Gateway to VNL
Vietnam, led by Thi Bich Tuyen Nguyen’s 30-point explosion, asserted its mastery of the Philippines to reach the semifinals of the tournament that serves as a gateway to the country-hopping Volleyball Nations League (VNL).
The winner of the Challenger Cup earns a spot to next year’s VNL circuit.
After the loss, De Brito said that while the program is gearing for the 2025 SEA Games, his main focus is to develop the current pool and add more players to it.
“It’s [still] far [ahead] to think about but there’s still time to work [with these players],” De Brito said of the SEA Games. “We have one and a half years to do that. Enough time, if we’re supported by the clubs and the schools, then we can do it.” the Brazilian coach told reporters.
De Brito admitted that Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia are still the top three squads in the region. That’s why he seeks to make the most of the longer preparation time with the new breed of national players.
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“It’s always a challenge for us but we’re trying to improve also. What we have to do is play hard and hard and minimize the distance between the No. 4 to No. 3 and then be able to beat them. It’s not a long way but it’s hard. Every step is really hard,” he said.