HO Thi Bich Diep came to the Philippines as the youngest player on a Ho Chi Minh team simply looking for experience.
Three games later, the 16-year-old attacker was helping author one of the biggest upsets the PVL has seen in recent memory.
READ: Ho Chi Minh winless no more after upset of defending champ PLDT
Ho went from not playing at all in the Vietnames side's opening-day loss to Farm Fresh and scoring just two points in a sweep at the hands of Creamline to emerging as the their unlikely spark against defending Invitational Conference champion PLDT.
The teenage ace finished with 14 points and four massive blocks, as Ho Chi Minh stunned the High Speed Hitters in four sets.
It was a breakthrough few could have predicted from a player who was still trying to adjust to the speed and physicality of this level just days earlier.
“After three games, I've learned a lot of things and gained a lot of experience,” she said in Vietnamese, with her remarks translated by team coordinator Tommy Le.
“For example, when it comes to mental fitness, I've learned a lot from the older ladies. I've been able to get in touch with them and they've helped me improve.”
Ho's journey through the first three games was anything but easy. The young winger was targeted heavily and had to quickly learn how to cope with more advanced attacks, patterns, and adjustments.
Guidance from Ho Chi Minh veterans
But Ho credited the veterans around her for helping her stay afloat.
“She was picked on quite a bit, and she was trying very hard to follow this higher level of gameplay,” Le said, translating Ho's remarks.
“She's a young rookie in terms of this team, but she's grateful for the more experienced veterans that were on the court, giving her guidance and reminding her, pushing her, and giving her the support, so that she can play comfortably.”
That support finally gave Ho the comfort to play her game against PLDT.
“And she's grateful for the experience and really stepping up to the plate when it comes to taking this challenge,” Le said, translating Ho's words.
For Ho Chi Minh, the win was proof that its first overseas trip was already paying off.
For Ho, though, it meant much more. At just 16, she was looking to learn and hoping to be seen. Against the defending champions, she showed she was ready to be heard.
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