JIA de Guzman says having played together for quite some time has been crucial for Creamline in delivering fine performances for the Philippines in the Asian Volleyball Confederation Cup for Women.
Called up on short notice to suit up for the country, the Cool Smashers swapped the pink kits for the tri-colors and after a tough start to the tournament have pulled off big wins to advance to the quarterfinals.
See PH spikers beat young Korea side, seal place in AVC Cup quarters
"Sobrang saya namin kasi we sacrificed a lot this whole year, for the past years. It just goes to show na it's easier to achieve things when you're training in a system, a long term program, and everyone believes in the system talaga," said De Guzman, named skipper as Alyssa Valdez missed the event after going down with dengue.
Named Philippine representatives after the national federation dropped its pool of young players just weeks ahead of the AVC Cup, De Guzman and Creamline teammates Ced Domingo, Jeanette Panaga, Michele Gumabao, Ella de Jesus, Pau Soriano, Kyla Atienza, Fille Cayetano, Kyle Negrito, Rose Vargas and Tots Carlos have done fine and wound up with a 2-2 record in pool play.
After losses to China and Vietnam, the Philippine representatives scored huge victories over Iran and South Korea and now face powerhouse Thailand in the quarterfinals.
De Guzman was part of the Philippine team that placed ninth out of 10 teams in the AVC Cup for Women in 2018, and she is mighty pleased to have done better this time.
"Well everyone saw how they played in VNL. They're a very strong team. They went up against the strongest teams around the world. So, hindi rin sila basta-basta. They're a young team, but they're very cohesive. They've been training together for years," she said.
"Juggernaut talaga ang Thailand, pero naniniwala kami sa system namin," she said.
"Whatever the results are when we go up against Thailand, we know learning experience siya, and we will do our best to give a good fight sa kanila."
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph