Santiago masaya para sa Alas Pilipinas

MANILA, Philippines — Naniniwala si dating national team member Jaja Santiago na malaki ang potensiyal ng Alas Pilipinas na binubuo ng mga bagito at beteranong players.

Personal na nasaksihan ni Santiago ang pag­lalaro ng Alas Pilipinas sa ginaganap na AVC Challenge Cup for Women sa Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

At nakikita ng 6-foot-5 middle blocker na malaki ang posibilidad na ma­ging contender ito sa mga susunod na taon.

“Nakakaproud na they are all working hard,” ani Santiago.

Pinuri ni Santiago ang solidong inilalaro ng bawat miyembro ng koponan na maganda ang koneksiyon na nagreresulta sa magandang laro.

“Everyone is a fighter, actually, and you can see they’re really willing to give their best and play their hearts out to win every game,” ani Santiago.

Binabanderahan ni playmaker at team captain Jia De Guzman ang koponan kasama sina Dawn Macandili-Catindig, Sisi Rondina, Eya Laure at Angel Canino.

“What I notice is that each one of them carries that ‘I will deliver’ mindset when they get fielded in the game. That’s one great characteristic of these pla­yers,” dagdag ni Santiago.

Para kay Santiago, kung magtutuluy-tuloy ang programa, walang duda na kaya ng Alas Pilipinas na makapasok sa malalaking torneo gaya ng Volley Nations League at Olympics.

“My wish is for this team to continue. We really have a big potential and even­tually we’ll be in the VNL or in the Olympics. With this kind of lineup, I think we can get that dream,” ani Santiago.