The Philippines has boosted its bid to enter the Asian Women’s Volleyball Cup 2022 quarterfinals after winning its first game in the series.
The national team won three out of four sets against Iran, 25-19, 25-22, 20-25, and 25-14, in the match played on Wednesday, August 24, at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
The victory placed the host country in a tied scorecard with Iran (1 win, 2 losses) for a joint third spot in Group A. The Philippines needs to stay within the top 4 of the pool to gain a quarterfinals berth.
The Filipino squad lost its earlier games against powerhouses China (4 wins) and Vietnam (3 wins, 1 loss). Despite the losses, the team’s level of play continued to improve, leading to its victory against Iran.
Jema Galanza led the team in scoring and so far has accumulated 45 points from matches against Vietnam, China, and Iran.
"We play with no pressure but pride for the Philippines" – Michelle Gumabao after getting their first win against Iran. #AVCCup2022@GoodNewsPinas_ https://t.co/nZSGCPeRyK
— EJ Transfiguracion (@Earl_Julius16) August 25, 2022
In the post-game interview, Michelle Gumabao said the team coaches remind them to fight for Filipino pride. “We play with no pressure but pride for the Philippines na lalaban tayo hanggang dulo. So every single game bibigay lang namin yung best namin.”
(We play with no pressure but with pride for the Philippines and that we will fight until the end. So every single game, we will really give our best.)
Coach Sherwin Meneses of the National Team credited the win to the team’s continued improvement after the first two games. “Sa unang [mga] laro, okay naman maganda naman yung nilaro ng team kahit hindi nakuha yung mga wins, especially kahapon. So nadagdagan lang yung improvement today kaya siguro nanalo.”
(In the first games, the team played well even if it didn’t get the wins, especially in yesterday’s battle. They won today because of the improved play.)
Despite the earlier losses, volleyball fans admired Team Philippines for the heart they showed in the first two games.
The Philippines only needs to secure the upcoming last match against South Korea to seal its quarterfinals spot.
Coach Sherwin assessed the team’s momentum after winning against Iran going into the match against South Korea. “Malaking epekto kasi, syempre galing kami sa panalo. Sana lang ma-maintain namin at madagdagan yung improvement namin kada game. kasi napaka-importante na, sa team namin na mag improve every game syaka yung mindset nila mejo nakakaadjust na sa pang-international, yun naman ang goal namin itaas ang level of the game ng Pilipinas. Hopefully, manalo kami bukas[sa South Korea],” Meneses said after the game.
(The win, of course, has a big impact. I just hope we can maintain and increase our improvement every game. It’s very important for our team to improve every game because their mindset is better able to adjust to the international level. That is our goal – to raise the level of the game in the Philippines. Hopefully, we will win [against South Korea] tomorrow.)
"Malaking epekto syempre galing kami sa panalo" Coach Sherwin said regarding the momentum of their team after winning over Iran last night. #AVCCup2022@GoodNewsPinas_
https://t.co/uj5YHz2tIH— EJ Transfiguracion (@Earl_Julius16) August 25, 2022
The Philippines will play an important match against South Korea, on Thursday, at 7:00 PM, at Philsports Arena.
The Philippines must win this game to finish and secure the third spot in Pool A before the quarterfinals.
The quarterfinal round will match the top four teams from Group A against the four teams of Group B.
Entry into the quarters will be based on either the number of matches won, match points, sets ratio, or points ratio according to the AVC’s pool standing process.
The team that won their most recent match will be given preference if the tie results in a point ratio between the two teams. When there is a tie in the points ratio between three or more teams, the teams will be reclassified according to points 1, 2, and 3 using just the games in which they faced off against one another.
- Match won 3–0 or 3–1: 3 match points for the winner, 0 match points for the loser
- Match won 3–2: 2 match points for the winner, 1 match point for the loser
The current Philippine Women’s Volleyball National team is composed of professional players from the Premier Volleyball League’s two-time 2022 season champion, Creamline Cool Smashers. They also competed in the finals of the PVL’s inaugural season as a professional league in 2021.
Watch the live coverage of the 2022 AVC Cup For Women on One Sports, One Sports+, Cignal TV CH 261 HD and 91 SD, Cignal Play Premium, and Smart Giga Play.
Good News Pilipinas is a Lasallian Scholarum Awardee. TELL US your good news story tips by messaging GoodNewsPilipinas.com on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or e-mail editor@goodnewspilipinas.com and WATCH Good News Pilipinas TV YouTube & Good News Pilipinas TikTok for more Filipino Pride stories!
