Petron, F2 Logistics battle for right to face Foton in the Finals

Defending champion Petron collide with F2 Logistics in a knockout semifinals match to set up a best-of-three championship series date with Foton.

Foton secured the first Finals berth.
Now its F2 Logistics and reigning titlist Petron’s turn to shoot for the second championship berth when they clash in the semifinals of the 2016 Philippine Superliga (PSL) All-Filipino Conference women’s volleyball tournament Saturday at The Arena in San Juan.
Intense action starts at 4:30 p.m. following the 2:30 p.m. battle between Cignal HD Spikers and Standard Insurance-Navy Corvettes in the first game.
Bannered by the stars of reigning UAAP champion La Salle, the Cargo Movers are slightly favored after they dominated the Tri-Activ Spikers twice to close out the double-round eliminations with just a single loss. Their lone setback was handed by Foton, which booked the first finals slot following a thrilling 21-25, 25-19, 25-15, 25-21 win over RC Cola-Army in the other semifinal pairing late Thursday at the Malolos Sports and Convention Center.
The win sent the Tornadoes to their second consecutive finals appearance after conquering the 2015 Grand Prix that gave Foton the ticket to represent the country in the AVC Asian Club Championship happening next month in Binan, Laguna.
Laure tallied 18 kills and three blocks for a total of 21 points while Santiago and Maika Ortiz had 17 and 13 points, respectively.
Rondina finished with 13 points, but provided the spunk and a lot of energy that left the older, depleted Lady Troopers groping for form.
“Army is such a strong team. Even if they are depleted, they still gave us a good fight,” said Tornadoes’ coach Villet Ponce-de Leon, noting that the absence of RC Cola-Army’s top gun Rachel Anne Daquis worked to their advantage.  “We’re just happy that somehow we managed to overcome their resiliency and composure.”
With Daquis nursing a broken foot, Jovelyn Gonzaga registered 20 kills and four blocks for the Lady Troopers, who saw their dynasty come to an end after suffering a complete meltdown and finish the tournament with five consecutive setbacks.
A win by F2 Logistics will pit it against its tormentors in a best-of-three finals duel starting next week.
On the other hand, a setback will send the Cargo Movers to a knockout encounter against RC Cola-Army in the battle for 3rd to 4th places.
F2 Logistics coach Ramil de Jesus, however, doesn’t want to be complacent.
“Advancing to the finals will only happen if we will beat Petron on Saturday,” he said. “Petron is also a young and dangerous team. We have to minimize our errors and improve our defense if we want to stand a chance.”
True enough, overcoming the Tri-Activ Spikers will not be a walk in the park.
Led by veteran Aiza Maizo-Pontillas with an army of young guns in Bernadeth Pons, Frances Molina, Remy Palma and Mina Aganon, Petron is expected to go all out, especially after coming up with a morale-boosting straight-set victory over the Lady Troopers at the end of the second round.
Petron coach George Pascua said their defense at the net featuring middle blockers Palma, Cherry Nunag and CJ Rosario as well as on the floor with Bang Pineda and Jen Reyes would serve as their main weapons against the hard-hitting Cargo Movers.
“Our defense will carry us through,” said Pascua, who guided the Tri-Activ Spikers to a historic 13-0 sweep of the All-Filipino Conference last year. “Our attacks may falter, but we have to make sure that our blocking and floor defense will be sharper in the semis.”
Pascua noted that they have to stop the attacks of Ara Galang, Paneng Mercado and Cha Cruz from the wings as well as Aby Marano and Mika Reyes in the middle in order for them to dictate the tempo.
“We have to take away those scoring options,” he said. “We had a hard time stopping their attackers in our previous game. We have to do some adjustments on defense to throw them off their comfort zone on offense.”
Meanwhile, the winner between the HD Spikers and the Corvettes will march to the classification battle for 5th to 6th places against Generika, which pulled off a 21-25, 25-17, 25-23, 25-14 conquest of Amy’s Thursday.
The loser, for its part, will be relegated to the battle for 7th to 8th places against Amy’s.

Source:http://sports.abs-cbn.com/volleyball/news/2016/08/05/petron-f2-logistics-battle-last-finals-berth-13997

They should stop bashing Alyssa --- Ricky Palou

      Alyssa’s getting a lot of bashing in social media in fact ako rin pero I don’t read social media so it doesn’t affect me. But I guess it affects Alyssa because she follows it --- Former Ateneo athletic director Ricky Palou .


Former Ateneo de Manila athletic director Ricky Palou sought the help of the media Wednesday night to clarify his and Alyssa Valdez’s side regarding the recent bashing they received from netizens in social media.
“Alyssa’s getting a lot of bashing in social media in fact ako rin pero I don’t read social media so it doesn’t affect me. But I guess it affects Alyssa because she follows it,” said Palou to a select reporters at the press room of the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City while the 13th V-League Collegiate Conference game between San Sebastian and National University was on going.
Palou, president of Sports Vision that organizes the V-League, was referring to the constant barrage of bashing Valdez received after the two-time UAAP champion and three-time UAAP Most Valuable Player was left out of the teams that will see action in the AVC Asian Women’s Club Championship next month and the 2016 FIVB Women’s Club World Championship on October 18 to 23 at the MOA Arena.   
Palou said that Valdez was approached by Foton, the reigning Philippine Superliga Grand Prix champion slated to play in the Asian tilt to be held on September 3-11 in Binan, Laguna, two weeks ago for a chance to join the team.  
“First Foton asked Alyssa to play in the AVC Asian Women’s Club Championship so they talked to me and I said, “Yeah, she can play.” I told her, “Alyssa if you want to play, you can play.” She said, “I’ll play in the Asian Club but not in the world.” Kasi sabi niya sa world pito ang import baka hindi kami makalaro roon, di ba? Kasi most probably they will play the imports. So she agreed to play in the Asian Club,” said Palou.
“I was talking to Alvin Lu na pwede na (maglaro si Alyssa). Alyssa is ready to play. A few days later they came back to me and said, “Hindi pwede, she cannot play because PSL has a rule that to play in the (Asian) club championship you have to play in the PSL tournament for one conference at least.” So hindi nga siya pwede that’s the reason why she’s not playing in this Asian Women’s Club Championship,” he added.
Palou also clarified that he has nothing to do with Valdez’s choice to stay in the V-League and not transfer to the PSL. He pleaded netizens to respect her decision. 
“The other thing, people are forcing, asking her to play in the PSL eh ayaw niya eh. They are saying pinipigil ko. Hindi ko siya pinipigil na maglaro. In fact, I called her sabi ko, “Alyssa if you want to play in the PSL it’s fine with me. Hindi sasama ang loob ko sa’yo, choice mo yan eh,”” Palou continued.
“If you think you’ll be better off there, by all means. It’s her decision but ayaw niya eh. People are bashing her kasi bakit ayaw niyang mag-PSL eh choice niya yun eh di ba?,” he pointed out. “Let’s respect her choice. ‘Yun ang decision niya so they should respect her. Naawa na nga ako kay Alyssa kasi you know naman how she is, napakabait na bata, ayaw niyang may kaaway siya. But then we’re hoping this thing should stop. You should respect the choice of a person.”
“They should stop bashing Alyssa,” Palou stressed.
Palou also revealed that Valdez, who won three straight Miss Volleyball awards from the Philippine Sportswriters Association, was even bothered by the flak and bashing received by the media who helped her throughout her career.
“I understand in the game when Ateneo lost to TIP (Technological Institute of the Philippines) she came out of the dugout and masama na nga ang loob niya dahil heto nga people keep on bashing her and all that and sinabi niya sa inyo and I think she mentioned, “You are the press you have a job to do. I’m an athlete I’ll just do what I’m supposed to do.” Ganoon lang yun di ba?,” Palou said 

Source:http://sports.abs-cbn.com/volleyball/news/2016/08/03/they-stop-bashing-alyssa-ricky-palou-13954

Generika finishes fifth in PSL All-Filipino Conference

 

Generika defeated Cignal in five sets to finish at fifth spot in the Philippine Superliga All-Filipino Conference.

Generika gave everything they got in the deciding set to turn back the hard-fighting Cignal HD Spikers, 19-25, 25-22, 25-22, 23-25, 15-7, Sunday to salvage some sense of pride as the Lifesavers finish at fifth spot in the 2016 Philippine Superliga (PSL) All-Filipino Conference at The Arena in San Juan.
The Lifesavers raced to a huge lead, 11-4, in the fifth set to control fifth set as the HD Spikers, who clawed their way from a 2-1 match deficit with a strong showing in the fourth.  
"For a team that was formed for only two months, finishing 5th is already an achievement," said Generika coach Francis Vicente. "The players need to adapt to the pressure given by each and everyone to be able to perform at a higher level. That's something we need to overcome."
Former Far Eastern University middle Geneveve Casugod led four other Generika players in double figures with 20 points she collected from 17 kills and three kill blocks.
Chlodia Cortez got 16 markers, Marivic Meneses played a solid performance in front of the net with four kill blocks on her way to a 14-point game while Wensh Tiu and Shaya Adorador, who closed the two-hour, nine-minute match with a service ace, scored 12 markers each for the Lifesavers, who pounded Cignal with 62 attack points.        
After building a seven-point lead, Generika exchanged a couple of errors with the HD Spikers heading to the final stretch before Adorador scored the last of her three service winners. 
Meanwhile, Standard Insurance-Navy drowned listless Amy’s Kitchen-Perpetual, 25-13, 25-17, 19-25, 25-19, to finish its roller-coaster campaign at seventh place.
Veteran Pau Soriano led the charge as the former Adamson University star tallied 15 kills to finish with 18 points while Martinez and Acuna delivered 10 hits each for the Corvettes.
After Amy’s survived the third set, it was all Standard Insurance-Navy in the fourth set as it built a 16-6 lead entering the second technical timeout and never looked back
Lourdes Clemente and Jowie Verzosa finished with 11 and 10 markers, respectively, for the winless Spikers, whose core of Perpetual Help is expected to carry the valuable lessons gained heading to NCAA women’s volleyball tournament Season 92.
 
Source:http://sports.abs-cbn.com/volleyball/news/2016/08/07/generika-finishes-fifth-psl-all-filipino-conference-14093

MVP performance from Ivovic caps Serbia's success

Kraków, Poland, July 17, 2016 – Serbia claimed their first ever World League title after prevailing over Brazil in straight sets 3-0 (25-22,25-22, 25-21) thanks to another impressive performance and 16 points from tournament MVP - Marko Ivovic.

The best scorer of the match was Wallace with 18 points to his name, but his efforts were not enough to keep Brazil in the game. On the Serbian side the best performance was displayed by Ivovic, who finished second behind Antonin Rouzier and Lucarelli in the Best Scorer and Best Spiker statistics.

 

 

No team has won as many World League medals as Serbia without ever winning the competition. On Sunday evening in Kraków they finally made their dream come true and can take the trophy and gold medals home. Brazil failed to win the title for the 10th time but are still the record holders with nine victories.

Serbia opened with positive attitude and built a 2-0 lead as Srecko Lisinac’s serves scared Brazil’s defence a bit. Yesterday’s hero Wallace jumped on his high level from the beginning and scored twice in a row. Players from Europe showed no fear and took a 8-6 lead at the first technical time-out. They stayed focused and enlarged their advantage to three points at 16-13. A mistake by Mauricio and ace from Uros Kovacevic resulted in the lead increasing to four at 19-15, which visibly irritated Brazilian coach Bernardo Rezende. His players managed to reduce the distance, but even a great effort on serve by Mauricio were not enough to catch Serbia and the set ended at 25-22. 

There was no doubt that Nikola Grbic’s team wanted to win their first World League title, especially in the face of their absence at the Olympics. They were ahead 8-5 and managed to keep the score safe, but Brazil came back into the game and Wallace blocked Kovacevic making it 12-12. In the blink of an eye the Serbians got back on track and with an ace from Drazen Luburic they led 15-13. Ivovic did not stop his hand, but the Canarinhos finally found a way to block him. They reduced the gap to one at 22-21 and kept the chance in this set. Wallace tried to rescue his team from the trouble, but Luburic spiked massively and Serbia got home again 25-22.

Source:http://worldleague.2016.fivb.com/en/news/mvp-performance-from-ivovic-caps-serbias-success?id=63496

ady Spikers Mika Reyes and Kim Dy take TWBA hot seat

Watch De La Salle's Kim Dy and Mika Reyes as they sat down with the King of Talk in an episode of Tonight with Boy Abunda.

De La Salle University volleybelles Mika Reyes and Finals Most Valuable Player Kim Dy took the hot seat in an episode of TONIGHT with Boy Abunda and answered some of the biggest questions thrown at them by King of Talk.
The episode aired last Wednesday night.
The duo who led the Lady Spikers’ thrilling championship run in the 78th UAAP women’s volleyball against the Ateneo de Manila Lady Eagles talked about the popularity of the sport, the DLSU-Ateneo rivalry and the experience of playing against the best teams and players in the league especially Ateneo including the epic best-of-three championship series decider. 

Source:http://sports.abs-cbn.com/uaap/news/2016/05/12/lady-spikers-mika-reyes-kim-dy-take-twba-hot-seat-11326

Serbia find their silver lining

Kraków, Poland, July 17, 2016 - The 27th season of the FIVB World League concluded on Sunday night in Tauron Arena, Krakow as Serbia prevailed over Brazil to claim their first ever title.

Serbia was the only side competing at the Finals to have not qualified for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and, as such, this was the last tournament for them this year. 

"It’s a pity that we don’t go to the Olympic Games, because we play really well beating now almost all the best teams in the world – Italy, Russia, Poland," Serbia's Marko Podrascanin said. "It was a great season and now we are going to celebrate this historical success."

The other fives teams will now start their preparation for the Olympics, with medals no doubt on their minds.

"Our main goal is the Olympic Games, so now we need to think about the good things and learn from our mistakes," Brazil coach Bernardo Rezende said.

Not winning the World League might be a good omen for them as four years earlier Poland claimed the 2012 World League title but did not make it any further than the quarterfinal stages at London 2012.

This year's World League marked a new chapter for this competition which grew up for the first time ever to include 36 teams across three groups of 12. The winner was decided in Krakow during a very tight final phase.

"The expansion has helped enhance the competiveness and intensity of the tournament, making it more attractive to fans and sponsors worldwide," FIVB President Dr. Ary S. Graça F° said.

The six contenders - Brazil, USA, Italy, Poland, Serbia and France - confirmed that they are rightly sat at the top table of men's volleyball with a high quality tournament. Most of the encounters were very tight with the likes of Poland and Brazil's comeback victories from 2-0 down in their games against France and USA respectively just two examples of that. Another highlight was the semifinal between France and Brazil when the teams needed 2 hours and 16 minutes to decide the winner in four sets.

After the final the Dream Team was revealed which consist from the following players:

MVP - Marko Ivovic (Serbia)

Best Outside Spiker - Marko Ivovic (Serbia)

Best Outside Spiker - Antonin Rouzier (France)

Best Middle Blocker - Mauricio (Brazil)

Best Middle Blocker - Srecko Lisinac (Serbia)

Best Libero - Jenia Grebennikov (France)

Best Setter - Simona Giannelli (Italy)

Best Opposite - Wallace (Brazil)

The final stages of the tournamet in Krakow were witnessed by FIVB President Dr. Ary S. Graça F° who also met the referees making their final preparations for the Olympic Games. 

"We have the opportunity to launch volleyball around the world at the Olympic Games and referees are very important in this process," President Graça said. "This is why we are holding these seminars, to give referees training - just like athletes - ahead of the biggest sporting event in the world."

The President added that new technologies showcased at the FIVB World League Finals will be used at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, including the Volleyball Challenge System, electronic score sheets for volleyball and beach volleyball and the electronic team and referee tablets for the volleyball. 

For Krakow and Tauron Arena it was a second big volleyball event after hosting the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship in 2014.

"Until now, Katowice in 2001, 2007 and Gdansk in 2011 were the two Polish cities who had the pleasure of hosting the World League Finals," Polish Volleyball Federation President Jacek Kasprzyk said. "This year Kraków joins the club with its beautiful, state-of-the-art Tauron Arena. I would like to give my thanks to Prof. Jacek Majchrowski, Mayor of Krakow, as well as the city’s institutions and authorities, for the fruitful cooperation and for effectively promoting the city through sport." 

Source:http://worldleague.2016.fivb.com/en/news/serbia-find-their-silver-lining?id=63487

Canada upsets United States in men’s volleyball opener at Rio Olympics

RIO DE JANEIRO—Canada waited 24 long years to make its return to the Olympic men’s volleyball court.

On Sunday, the team showed it belonged on the sport’s biggest stage.

Canada surprised the fifth-ranked United States in straight sets (25-23, 25-17, 25-23) in a rollicking affair that packed plenty of punch for a preliminary round opener at the Rio Olympics.

The near-sellout crowd at the Maracanazinho in volleyball-mad Brazil was in Canada’s corner from the start. With spikers Nick Hoag and Gavin Schmitt setting the tone, the 12th-ranked Canadians played like Olympic veterans.

“We’re not intimidated by anybody,” Schmitt said. “We’re going to go at everybody. We’re here to compete.”

There was no sign of nerves at the outset. The Canadians kept it cool in the pre-game introductions while the exuberant Americans slapped each other with high-fives and gave each other bearhugs.

Canada jumped out to an 11-9 lead before the game’s first decent rally captivated the raucous crowd at the 11,454-seat venue. American Taylor Sander ended it with a spike that deflected off the Canadian blockers.

Hoag, from Sherbrooke, Que., later hit two straight thundering spikes to give Canada a 23-21 advantage and Schmitt, from Saskatoon, provided one of his own on set ball.

The Americans made 10 service faults in the opening set and fell apart late in the second. Canada closed out the set on a 10-2 run as Hoag sealed it with an ace.

Schmitt was a force all game and came through again when it counted in the third set. His spike at 23-23 gave Canada a match ball and he followed it with another point to complete the 3-0 win.

“You never expect a victory quite like that,” Schmitt said. “But we know that we can play very well and if we focused on our own game, really took it to them and played aggressive then we had a good chance of beating them.”

Hoag led the team with 14 points, one more than Schmitt. Matthew Anderson led the Americans with 15 points.

The United States made 28 errors to just 16 for Canada.

“We weren’t surprised at all . . . we just weren’t good enough on our side,” said Sander.

Schmitt missed a qualifying tournament in January after undergoing surgery to repair a stress fracture in his leg. He returned to help Canada earn a spot in a qualifier in June at Tokyo.

“The day after Japan I talked to the guys and I said, ‘We don’t want to go (to Rio) as tourists,’ ” said Canadian coach Glenn Hoag. “We want to go there and perform. Win or lose I don’t know, but we want to perform.

“The guys got engaged . . . there was something there and we were able to re-create it here.”

Canada’s last Olympic appearance came at the 1992 Games in Barcelona.

“I think a big thing is we have a lot of guys in very high-level professional leagues,” said Canadian setter Tyler Sanders of London, Ont. “So right now we’re getting competition in those eight months and then when we come back, it’s been a very core group.

“We’ve been able to continue to grow together.”

A huge test awaits Tuesday (9:35 p.m. ET) as Canada will take on top-ranked Brazil. The rest of Pool A includes No. 4 Italy, No. 11 France and No. 26 Mexico.

“I think we’re capable of great things,” Schmitt said. “It’s just whether we can keep putting it together and keep performing well. We all have the pieces in the right place right now.”

Other countries in the field include No. 2 Poland, No. 3 Russia, No. 6 Argentina, No 10 Iran, No. 17 Cuba and No. 20 Egypt.

-

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Source:https://www.thestar.com/sports/olympics/2016/08/07/canada-upsets-united-states-in-mens-volleyball-opener-at-rio-olympics.html

Rio 2016: Brazil nets hopes on beach volleyball success

Brazil's beach volleyball stars have made a winning start in their hunt for gold at the Rio Olympics, beating their opponents on Copacabana's golden sand.
The women's double of Agatha Bednarczuk and Barbara Seixas defeated on Saturday their Czech Republic rivals 19-21 21-17 15-11 in front of a packed crowd at a stadium on Rio's famous beach.
Alison Cerutti and Bruno Schmidt, the country's male beach volleyball pair, also beat their Canadian opponents in straight sets.
"To start an Olympics at home, to see this crowd shouting Brazil, it's a dream come true," said Cerutti.

Brazil has won more medals in beach volleyball than any other country since it was introduced to the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
In Rio, where nets dot the coastline, long stretches of sand provide the perfect training ground for aspiring beach volleyball stars.
"As any visitor to Rio's beaches will tell you, Brazil's prowess in the sport is on display every day," Al Jazeera's Adam Raney, reporting from the city's renowned Ipanema Beach, said.
"People have been coming out to beaches like Ipanema and Copacabana to practise the sport for more than a half century."
"Everyone thinks Brazil is great at football. No, we're also good at volleyball," player Barbara de Sousa told Al Jazeera.
On Saturday morning, outside the stadium on Copacabana, crowds were riotous despite long lines and delays at security gates. Hundreds without tickets cheered from the street and on the sand nearby.
Willy Pereira, 28, a computer technician, wearing a Brazil shirt as he stood in line for the matches, explained the love locals have for the sport.
"I love the beach. I play volleyball ... on this beach or in Ipanema," he told the Reuters news agency.
"It's a marvellous sensation to have this so close to home."

Source:http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/08/rio-2016-brazil-nets-hopes-beach-volleyball-success-160807091659978.html

The cover-ups versus the cover-nots: Egyptian and German beach volleyball players highlight the massive cultural divide between Western and Islamic women's teams .

 

Pictures show the cultural differences among some of the nations taking part in the Rio Olympics after the Egyptian women's beach volleyball team took to the sandy arena wearing long sleeves and leggings

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3728996/The-contrasting-cultures-brought-Olympics-Perfectly-timed-photograph-showing-Egyptian-German-volleyball-players-highlights-divide-teams.html#ixzz4GpuAUG5m
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

 

The outfit, used by Nada Meawad and Doaa Elghobashy (centre), who also covered her head with a hijab, was in stark contrast to their German rivals Laura Ludwig (right) and Kira Walkenhorst (left) who stuck to the sport's traditional two-piece outfit for the clash last night

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3728996/The-contrasting-cultures-brought-Olympics-Perfectly-timed-photograph-showing-Egyptian-German-volleyball-players-highlights-divide-teams.html#ixzz4GpuJOEMA
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

 

Although the International Volleyball Federation used to have standards regulating the size of uniforms, those were loosened heading into the London 2012 Olympics to allow full sleeves and leggings

Although the International Volleyball Federation used to have standards regulating the size of uniforms, those were loosened heading into the London 2012 Olympics to allow full sleeves and leggings.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3728996/The-contrasting-cultures-brought-Olympics-Perfectly-timed-photograph-showing-Egyptian-German-volleyball-players-highlights-divide-teams.html#ixzz4GpuO5Ekp
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Source:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3728996/The-contrasting-cultures-brought-Olympics-Perfectly-timed-photograph-showing-Egyptian-German-volleyball-players-highlights-divide-teams.html

Ateneo Lady Eagle Pauline Gaston: Learning to fly

MANILA, Philippines – It’s one game. And despite the new look Ateneo Lady Eagles’ 5-set loss to the Technological Institute of the Philippines in the Shakey’s V-League on Monday, August 1, sophomore Pauline Gaston earned buzz for her breakout game where she led the team in scoring with 17 points.

Yet she was hardly exuberant about her showing. Instead, she offered that “I could play better” and “it would have been better if we got a win.”

But privately, Gaston was happy because “this was the first game where I played really long minutes."

Previously, if one mentioned “Ponggay”, as she is fondly nicknamed, it's because her dad Fritz was a former Ateneo and Philippine Basketball Association star while her mom, Duday, was a beauty queen during her time.

After last UAAP season, Ponggay was that bubbly and effervescent presence on the sidelines who made cameo appearances during certain parts of the game for the Lady Eagles – usually garbage time when her teammates set her up for an attack.

“She is my project,” pronounced Ateneo head coach Anusorn Bundit.

After her “starring” role yesterday, Gaston showed she is ready to be taken seriously for her volleyball and what she can contribute to her team’s cause.

For all the promise, there’s still much to learn. On several occasions during Ateneo’s match against TIP, Bundit would motion to Gaston on how to follow through on a downward motion her attacks. She'd whack the ball unmindful of its trajectory. As a result, the ball either went long and out or a Lady Engineer got a hand on the ball to send it back over the net.

"To be completely honest, I was super nervous and jittery,” she confessed over dinner after the match. "Now that I look back on it, I wish I did better and there were things that I did that I wish I didn’t. And there [were] things that I didn’t do that I wish I did. Does that sound confusing?”

She laughs. The perkiness is back.

Yet as quickly as the sun peered behind the dark clouds, Gaston turned serious. "Since it is like my first real game where I played a lot of minutes, I was trying to find my confidence. I tried to be confident. My coaches and teammates know me well. It’s also a matter of composure. I have to make everyone feel I'm confident."

A welcome calming voice was former teammate Alyssa Valdez, who didn’t suit up during the game. On several occasions, the former 3-time UAAP Most Valuable Player could be seen talking to Gaston.

“Aly was telling me just stick to my job and what was asked of me as well as not to complicate things with my hitting. But more than anything, it was to be calm."

With the first game in the bag, the Lady Eagles know better. Without Jhoana Maraguinot who will be out for a little over a month, and middle hitter Bea De Leon who will be out for another week or so (the team’s other middle blocker, Maddie Madayag has yet to begin training), it was up to the youngsters and the bench (and their other starters) to hold the fort.

“There is nothing to be sad about,” said Gaston. "We know what we’re capable of. And that’s why we play, to get better."

Source:Rappler