ONE name comes to mind for La Salle’s Angel Canino, Thea Gagate, and Julia Coronel when they envision their ‘dream teammate’ for the Philippine national team — veteran playmaker Jia de Guzman.
The Lady Spikers trio received their first-ever seniors’ call-up to the national team pool on Wednesday and will be joined by a handful of Premier Volleyball League (PVL) aces and UAAP rising stars.
As they prepare to fly the flag in the 2024 AVC Challenge Cup for Women on home soil in a week, Canino & Co. reflected on their forthcoming debuts for the nationals, which will soon fulfill childhood dreams — especially for Coronel as she gets to learn from one of her sporting idols.
“I’ve been looking up to her (Jia de Guzman) ever since and sobrang nakaka-excite. ‘Di ko na-imagine ever na magiging teammate ko siya,” said Coronel.
“I’m really looking forward to what I’ll get to learn from her also and the rest of our ates na nasa team na mga veterans din, kung what I’ll get to learn from them individually.”
Former MVP Canino and three-time 1st Best Middle Blocker Gagate shared their eagerness to learn from one of the country’s most esteemed playmakers.
Like Coronel, Gagate is excited to play with De Guzman.
“Kasi before, parang nakikita ko lang po siyang nagse-set. Meron talaga siyang connection with each and every one sa loob. ‘Yun ‘yung pinaka-nagagandahan ako,” she said.
Gagate said she admires De Guzman’s maturity and leadership on the floor.
“Si Ate Jia po (kasi) super experienced siya na setter and I’m excited to be na maging setter siya sa team namin. Nakaka-pressure pero masaya siya. Magandang experience siya,” she added.
What dreams are made of
The La Salle trio also emphasized how such once-in-a-lifetime opportunities don’t come around often, prompting them to seize the chance to ‘show the country what they’re made of.’
“This has really been a dream of mine ever since, so I was ecstatic when I heard that I get to be part of this pool or the lineup. For me, I really want to work hard and gain as much experience as I can because that's really my big goal for myself and the rest of us,” shared Coronel.
The award-winning pair echoed the same sentiment of fulfilling the huge responsibility of playing for the flag and country.
“This opportunity with the national team is a chance to show who we really are. We’re given the opportunity to represent our country, so we’re very proud of it,” said Canino.
“I’m really looking forward to the experience because this is the chance for us to experience being with our older teammates who are pros and at the same time, to compete against other international teams,” added Gagate.
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