Representing Alas Pilipinas here has been a whole new experience for Jhenica Sadia.
While carrying the flag in the 2nd AVC Asian Women’s U16 Volleyball Championship, Sadia is soaking up all the learnings in her first international stint.
‘Since it’s my first time, everything I see and experience here is new to me. I’m still learning about international play, so I need to calm myself down and stay focused,’ Sadia told the Inquirer in Filipino.
Through courage and trust the Gracel Christian College Foundation Taguig standout has been able to overcome jitters and be a steady and reliable middle blocker with Madele Gale.
‘It’s all about courage and believing in yourself,’ said Sadia. ‘We just have to trust ourselves, trust our teammates, and follow whatever the coaches instruct us to do.’
Sadia delivered six points to help Alas sweep Hong Kong, 25-20, 25-19, 25-10, to set a rematch against Thailand in their final game in Jordan.
After making her Alas debut, the 15-year-old middle blocker dreams big of representing the country in higher age groups as her young career continues to blossom.
‘This is our dream, so we’ll keep working hard to reach higher levels,’ she said.
For now, Sadia wants to capture the fifth place to cap the inspiring run of the high school players from different provinces, who only trained together for two weeks.
They cap their campaign in the battle for fifth on Saturday against Thailand.
‘We’re really preparing hard because tomorrow’s game is very important for us. If we win, we might qualify for another league, so we’ll give it our all,’ she said.