PORNPUN Guedpard and Jia de Guzman had kind words for each other even as their teams headed in opposite directions in the Asian Volleyball Confederation Cup for Women.
Thailand scored a four-set win to reach the semifinals as the hosts were relegated to the classification phase.
See PH spikers put up gallant stand before falling to Thais in AVC Cup quarters
Pornpun, though, believes they faced a better squad than the team they met in the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam early this year.
The Philippines is represented in the tournament by PVL Invitational champion Creamline Cool Smashers, while the SEA Games squad was a selection of players from the pro league.
"The Philippines? They play very well and they make our team crazy. Sometimes [during the] game they make us crazy about how [did they do that?] You know?" the 29-year-old Thai playmaker said.
"Their play is not to think too much but our team thinks too much on how to play with Philippines. Because this is different with the SEA Games [team] and now I think they are better," she said.
Guedpard noted her Filipina counterpart is doing well.
"Jia is getting better. I saw her about 2-3 years ago and she's better," she said.
De Guzman, skipper of the team that went 2-2 in pool play before the loss to the Thais, hopes the Philippines would reach the same heights Thailand has achieved throughout the years.
"We've had our experiences playing each other before and wala, paganda nang paganda yung laro [ni Pornpun] kahit coming from VNL (volleyball nations league) and all the international tournaments and dalang dala niya talaga yung team niya," she shared.
"Hopefully, maabot din namin yung ganoong level in the future."
Thailand, ranked 14th in the world, has ruled the Southeast Asian region for nearly three decades.
It holds a 27-year winning streak in the SEA Games since 1995 and only missed one podium finish (2014, 5th place) in the AVC Cup for Women since joining in 2008.
The Philippines, on the other hand, is ranked 120th and managed a bronze medal finish in the 2019 Asean Grand Prix after placing ninth in a ten-team field in its debut in the AVC Cup for Women in 2018.
The Philippines has eclipsed its ninth-place finish in its 2018 debut by reaching the quarterfinals.
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