Nationals bow to elite squad in Japan stint

MANILA, Philippines - The national women’s volleyball team dropped a four-setter to an elite Japanese squad but impressed a lot with its much-improved blocking and floor defense.

On the fifth day of their Japan training under the Okayama City Seagulls coach Akiyoshi Kawamoto, the Nationals held their ground in a four-set exhibition match before bowing, 22-25, 14-25, 22-25, 20-25.

Jaja Santiago came away with 20 kills and three aces while Alyssa Valdez produced 15 kills, an ace and a block as the Filipinas displayed tremendous improvement in blocking and floor defense in their buildup for two big international meets, including the SEA Games in Malaysia next month.

Kim Fajardo finished with 40 excellent sets and added a kill and an ace while Mika Reyes had four markers in the absence of injured middle blocker Aby Maraño.

Head coach Francis Vicente was happy over his wards’ performance, but quick to tone down expectations, saying that the squad still remains a work in progress.

“I like our progress in this early stretch of our training,”said Vicente following the match witnessed by no less than Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, who is the chairman of the organizing committee of the Asian Senior Women’s Championship in Biñan and Muntinlupa next month.

“But we still have a lot to learn. We still have to perfect our blocking and floor defense as well as improve our composure in the crucial stretch of the match. There’s still room for improvement. We’re still a work in progress.”

He was referring to the action-packed fourth set where the Nationals trailed by five, 3-8, before Fajardo connected an ace to tie the match at 13.

A strong hit from the left wing by Valdez gave the Filipinos the lead, 15-14, but the Japanese quickly retaliated, turning it into a 22-19 advantage en route to the victory.

Kawamoto said he was impressed with  the development of the Filipinos and expressed confidence they would come up with a good performance in the Asian Seniors and the 30th Southeast Asian Games.

“Your team did great,” he told Vicente through an interpreter. “There were some lapses on defense, but overall, your team is doing good in training.”

The Nationals took a breather yesterday before plunging back to training with the Seagulls today.