LOSING to a powerhouse team in Thailand’s Nakhon Ratchasima despite having multiple chances to complete an unlikely upset wasn’t a tough pill to swallow for PLDT head coach Rald Ricafort.
“Yun naman yung binanggit namin nu’ng pre-game na basta ibuhos [namin lahat] regardless ng result, okay kami,” said Ricafort.
“Wala nang mas ha-high level pa na makakalaro ka ng champion team from Thailand so sa nilaro namin, proud naman kami sa naging performance [namin].”
READ: Nakhon Ratchasima denies PLDT rally, books a date with Creamline
The High Speed Hitters squandered what would’ve been a momentum-building set point in the opening frame and had to fight back in Sets 3 and 4 to force a fifth-set tiebreak.
Sudden death went down the wire up until the halfway point at 8-all, but then came a 7-1 match-clinching Nakhon Ratchasima run to foil PLDT’s reverse-sweep bid.
As a result, PLDT dropped to No. 2 in Pool D and will face nine-time Kazakh champion Zhetysu in the knockout quarterfinals.
They were able to keep one perennial champion on its toes. Can they do the same against another perennial champion for survival?
Ricafort isn’t looking too far ahead just yet.
“Every tournament naman, may ganung aspect na for experience kasi yung mga players naman, laging gusto mag-compete. Yung focus kasi, kaysa mangggigil kami na dapat kailangang manalo, kailangan umabot hanggang dulo,” Ricafort said.
“Talagang yung trabaho tsaka yung performance every game lang yung hinahabol naman. Kung maganda namin yung igagalaw, sumasabay naman sa results. Ito, tuloy na 'to. Konting-konti na lang pero okay naman kami. Kahit na paano may mage-gain pa rin.”
In two day’s time, the game plan for PLDT is simple: all out, all heart and zero expectations.
“Alam naman naming high level, malakas and all [yung Zhetysu] pero bilog pa rin naman bola. Tulad ngayon, wala naman nag-expect na [humabol kami ng dalawang sets] pero umabot kami sa dulo,” the PLDT mentor said.
“Tinnan ulit namin kung saan aabot against Kazakhstan, pero definitely ilalabas and tatrabahuhin namin ‘yun. Tignan natin sa Thursday.”
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.
