Mika Reyes: Volleybelles trying best to catch up with Asiad preparation

MANILA, Philippines – For Mika Reyes, the country still has a lot of catching ups to do before matching the volleyball prowess of Asian powerhouse China, Japan and South Korea.

In her weekly column, Reyes gave the national women’s volleyball team a modest rating of 6.5 to 7 in terms of preparation with barely a week left before marching to the 18th Asian Games in Jakarta.

Reyes, who skippered the Nationals in the 29th Southeast Asian Games last year, said they are working hard to polish their blocking and floor defense and improve their offense under noted Japanese mentor Akiyoshi Kawamoto.

She said they may be far away from winning an Asian gold medal, but at least the progress is there.

“Adjusting to the Japanese style of play is not really easy since we have a very limited time and we can’t absorb everything in just few training sessions,” she said in her newspaper column.

“But we’re all trying our best to catch up, especially in the blocking technique that he taught.”

Although the gold medal is not on their target, the Nationals will be marching to the Asian Games looking to come up with an impressive run.

Larong Volleyball sa Pilipinas, Inc. president Peter Cayco said their goal is to surpass their seventh-place finish in the AVC Asian Women’s Seniors Championship in Laguna last year and gain experience for the 30th Southeast Asian Games.

He said the SEA Games is the “real battle” and they are looking to step into the podium for the first time since 2005.

Reyes said with hard work and perseverance, hitting their target is not impossible.

“I’m glad there’s some progress,” she said.

“Let’s all be patient. We will get there sooner than expected.”