ALYSSA Valdez may be absent from the Philippines' campaign in the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Cup for Women, but she remains with the team in spirit.
"Isa na rin sa inspirasyon namin si Ate Ly ngayon na hindi namin nakakasama. Yun talaga yung pinanghuhugutan namin," said Jema Galanza after the national team made up mostly of Creamline players clinched its place in the quarterfinals.
[READ: PH spikers beat Korea to punch ticket to quarters]
Valdez was pulled out of the team days before the opening match after contracting dengue, leaving the hosts without the three-time PVL season MVP and the acknowledged heart and soul of the Cool Smashers.
But in her absence, setter Jia De Guzman, who missed one game herself, stepped up as team captain while Galanza and Tots Carlos provided the big guns as the Philippines bounced back from a 0-2 start with wins over Iran and South Korea.
The host country wrapped the eliminations at third place in Pool A and will take on Southeast Asian Games queen Thailand on Saturday at the PhilSports Arena for a place in the semifinals.
But regardless of the result, the team has already surpassed its finish in 2018 when it came in ninth in a ten-team field.
Galanza hopes the team's courageous performances are cheering up 'The Phenom.'
"Alam mo yun, baka pag nanunuod siya, mas lumalakas yung katawan niya ngayon," said Galanza who averaged a team-best 14.25 points per game at the end of the preliminaries.
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