CHANNON Thompson lauded her teammates for staying focused as Motolite recovered from a poor start to boost its semifinal bid.
Thompson powered the fightback as Motolite pulled off a 23-25, 23-25, 25-14, 25-14, 15-12 win over BaliPure on Saturday in the 2019 Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference in San Juan.
"I think this really speaks of our team's resilience and the preparation that we've been doing in practice," said the 25-year-old outside hitter.
"We're working on staying patient. We weren't able to control our emotions and play with our head in the first two sets, but to be able to come back from losing two sets which is obviously not easy, we're just happy to be able to do that in the end of the game."
Thompson uncorked 27 huge points and played in perfect harmony with fellow Trinidad and Tobago native Kystle Esdelle, who had 24 markers to her name, as they helped Motolite move up to fourth place with a 3-5 record.
Winning three of its last four matches, Motolite sure looks like a team peaking at the right time.
Coach Air Padda, however, knows that as much of a confidence-boost her side's recent stretch has been, nothing is guaranteed as this point.
"Konti lang," she said when asked about her team's semifinal chances. "It gives me confidence, but I don't want to be too confident to where I'm not humble. And I know the way that this conference is set up, anybody can lose on any given day."
And that couldn't be any more truer for Motolite's next game against BanKo-Perlas, which are currently on a three-match losing slide.
That's why Padda urged her team to stay on their toes as they prepare for the game against the Perlas Spikers on Sunday at Alonte Sports Arena in Binan, Laguna.
"We've been there. I know exactly what slump they're there on, they had to switch import, things aren't going right," she said
"I don't think they're gonna come in on a slump tomorrow. I think they're going to come in on a high note, and they're going to have all the confidence in the world that they can beat us."
The match could very well decide who will advance to the semifinals, with BanKo-Perlas sitting at 2-5.
Padda, however, likes her team's chances with the groove Motolite has found itself in after starting the season with a 0-4 record.
"I just want to keep moving, forward momentum, keep pushing, and keep growing," she said.
"I'm thankful that we're in the situation that we are. We started late, we had a lot of adversity that we faced in the beginning, but now things are starting to come together, the team is starting to jell, and I'm happy that we're peaking right now."
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