RHEA Dimaculangan is leading a rebuilding PLDT, which only has four holdovers including Eli Soyud, Chin Basas, and Nieza Viray for the 2022 Premier Volleyball League Open Conference.
Rhea Dimaculangan on new-look PLDT
The High Speed Hitters, who finished 3-6 for seventh place last season, were only able to keep a handful of players from their previous roster under a new head coach George Pascua.
The team parted ways with longtime coach Roger Gorayeb and players Isa Molde, Shola Alvarez, Marist Layug, Yeye Gabarda, Aiko Urdas, Jorelle Singh and others.
But for Dimaculangan, the team’s new look should not stop the holdovers and newcomers, who will be unveiled in the coming days, from rising from their seventh-place finish in the PVL Bubble in Ilocos Norte last year.
"Expectations ko for this season is better performance and finish for PLDT. But we need to work hard and one step at a time muna ang focus namin hanggang sa maabot namin yung goal namin as a team," Dimaculangan said.
The 30-year-old playmaker, who signed with the franchise last season, is putting premium on being selfless for them to quickly adapt to Pascua’s new system.
"Big challenge not just for me but also for every one of us kasi we need to adopt yung bagong system ni Coach George and at the same time need namin yung familiarity in and out of the court sa bagong teammates namin," Dimaculangan said.
"We need to focus muna sa sarili namin kung paano pa kami mag-iimprove and makakatulong sa team para maabot namin yung goal namin.”
With a month to go from the tentative opening date of the Open Conference on February 16, the PLDT team captain vowed to be more vocal to her teammates for them to work on the same page.
"I need to be more vocal in providing support sa mga teammates ko and need ko rin na mas makilala sila personally para alam ko kung paano ko sila mabibigyan ng motivation," she said.
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