“We’re going against teams na tumanda sa loob ng national team, tayo, yun din yung goal natin.”

BEYOND the pain of an early exit in the 2024 FIVB Women’s Volleyball Challenger Cup to a red-hot Vietnam side, Alas Pilipinas captain Jia de Guzman made an impassioned plea for the national team program: ‘build longevity.’

The veteran playmaker didn’t mince words in describing the harsh reality that has long marred national teams of years past: the absence of an intact player core.

From pro clubs to fleeting assemblages of college and pro league standouts, there has been countless versions of the Philippine women’s national volleyball team which all had their fair share of struggles on the international stage.

But for de Guzman, such a culture has to change for good.

If the Philippines aspires for a national team at par with the world’s best, then a few adversities shouldn’t be enough to force the program to start from scratch like it used to.

“Because we’re going against teams na tumanda sa loob ng national team, tayo, yun din naman yung goal natin, tumanda kaming magkakasama sa loob ng national team. That’s how you build longevity, that’s how you build chemistry, that’s how you build a strong team in the long run,” said the well-spoken skipper.

“We can’t expect na isang talo, isang adversity, palit kaagad. Keep the same people, add new people, reinforce the team. That’s how you make a team strong. So hopefully, yun talaga yung magawa natin.”

No fall from grace this time

There might not have been enough firepower on Alas’ end to contain the hot hands of Nguyen Thi Bich Tuyen, but there were still plenty of positives de Guzman saw as building blocks moving forward.

“Maganda ring makita kasi sa team namin na kahit naghahabol kami or napupuntasan kami, everyone’s really communicating and adjusting in-game. Du’n nakikita na nag-iimprove din yung chemistry namin paunti-unti.”

“All we have to do is retain the team, keep playing together and hopefully, next time na magkita, mas maganda pa rin yung maipakita namin.”

Apparently, Philippine national team coach Jorge Souza de Brito shares the same sentiments – and hopes that Filipinos DO believe that patience is a virtue.

As de Guzman shared, “Si coach [de Brito] naman has always told us many times to be patient with ourselves and with the team. With Vietnam naman and more experienced teams, ganito din naman yung pinagdaanan nila dati.”

“It’s just they really stuck together all throughout these years, so yun din ang kailangan din naming gawin.”