BACARRA, Ilocos Norte – Veteran setter Rhea Dimaculangan and head coach Roger Gorayeb vowed to keep the faith on the young PLDT team which finished in seventh place in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Open Conference.
Dimaculangan said the Power Hitters made sure to end their bubble campaign on a high note, sweeping their last three matches in dominant fashion after losing their previous six matches.
“Naniniwala talaga ako, trust the process. Kasi hindi naging madali yung pinagdaanan ng team namin like ilang talo. Yung morale namin sobrang baba,” said the playmaker after a three-set win over Cignal on Friday in its final game in the tournament.
“Naging challenge sa amin yung last three games. Pinaghirapan din naman namin at saka pinaghandaan namin para sa sarili namin at sa team namin.”
The PLDT Power Hitters and Sta. Lucia Lady Realtors left Laoag on Saturday morning.
Gorayeb said the Power Hitters will rest while the National Capital Region (NCR) is still under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ).
The veteran coach is optimistic PLDT can only get better for future tournaments.
“Sana lahat maging pasensyoso muna sa team na ito kasi hindi naman ganun kadali mag-form ng team, tapos dalawang buwan practice. Pero ito na e, ang ganda nang nilaro e, kaya masaya ako.”
Despite missing the semifinals, the 30-year-old Dimaculangan had fun leading a team that has an average age of 24.
“Mababait naman sila at tsaka madaling mapasunod kasi nga siyempre mga bata,” she said. “Minsan lang di mo maiwasan na parang natatakot din sila sa akin dahil yung age gap namin medyo malaki. Pero ok naman lahat, madali silang pakisamahan.”
The Philippine women’s volleyball team setter is grateful to PLDT for giving her an opportunity to play after more than a year of inactivity due to the pandemic.
“Sobrang thankful ako kasi after one and a half year, ngayon lang ulit kami nakapaglaro ng volleyball,” Dimaculangan said. “Despite the pandemic, nandiyan pa rin sila (PLDT), sinuportahan yung bubble training namin hanggang sa makarating kami dito.”
PLDT eyes a stronger finish
Dimaculangan hopes to pick up from where they left off possibly in the next PVL conference late this year depending on the pandemic situation.
“Looking forward kami sa next conference. Hopefully, meron para mas maganda yung maging performance namin. Kumbaga kahit papaano yung morale namin mataas entering next conference,” she said.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
