Defending champion Japan was all praise for the Alas Pilipinas after its gallant stand in their thrilling 2nd AVC Asian Women’s U16 Volleyball Championship opening showdown on Saturday evening at Princess Sumaya Hall here.
Japan kicked off its title drive with a 25-17, 21-25, 25-16, 25-20 win, but the Alas U16 team didn’t go down without a fight’It was a difficult game because the Philippines was so good,’ said Japanese coach Daichi Saegusa through a translator.
‘We could have played well, but this match is going to be good for us because we have more games. It was a good opportunity.’
What impressed Saegusa was the composure and plays of setter Resty Jane Olaguir from Gracel Christian College Foundation Taguig.
‘She’s a very good setter and [have a lot of] combinations,’ Japan head coach said.
Ren Sugimoto, who led the charge with 16 points, was impressed by team captain and opposite spiker Xyz Rayco.
Rayco powered the Philippines’ gallant stand with nine points, scoring seven in the second to win the set. Alas U16 coach Edwin Leyva was proud to hear those praises from the opposing team, inspiring them to play better in a must-win game against Iran on Sunday at 11 p.m. (Philippine time).
‘Everybody contributed to the game. Our defense was really good. Unfortunately, we lacked a bit of energy, experience, and endurance. But we know we can win, and we hope to play even better in our game against Iran,’ said Leyva.
Leyva aims to win to get into the quarterfinal. ‘We’re hoping that everything will fall into place because most things are actually going well,’ he said. ‘The errors we made were mostly crucial service errors and a few overplays. We’ll focus on practicing those in training this morning, and hopefully, by the afternoon, we can play a much better game.’