Improved volleybelles face tough Japan

JAKARTA – They learned from Japanese coaches, and they will now try to beat the Japanese team.

The Philippine volleybelles take their second major test in the 18th Asian Games versus Japan today, and the Filipinas are determined to work harder after narrowly pulling a set versus Thailand Sunday.

Game time is at 4:30 p.m. (5:30 p.m. in Manila) at the Bulungan Sport Hall.

Skipper Aby Maraño and her teammates are encouraged by good words from the Thai team.

Thai star spiker Pleumjit Thinkaow, for one, said the Philippines showed much improvement from their previous faceoff even as the Thais dominated the Filipinas in the last two sets of a 25-22, 25-12, 25-15 triumph in the opener of volleyball competition at the GBK Sports Center.

Meanwhile, Japan crushed Indonesia, 25-20, 25-11, 25-19, also on Sunday.

“It’s (the loss to Thailand) not a bad news. It’s always good to play them because they’re a veteran team and they have rich experience in playing international games. To be able to play them, we learned from them,” said Maraño.

“At the same time, we felt we’re able to show what we’ve learned in Japan, at least in the first set. It’s just that we returned to our old habits in the end,” Maraño also said.

Maraño and her teammates said they could improve on continuous training and more exposure in international tournaments.

“We’ll not waver. It’s just the start, and we’re challenged by the upcoming games,” said Alyssa Valdez.

The Phl belles look to soak up on everything to help their buildup to be a medal contender in the Southeast Asian Games in Manila next year.

“We’ll do our best and hopefully we’ll be able to give our rivals a good fight,” said Valdez.

“The tournament has just started. We’ll try to absorb things and learn, and hopefully we improve and get to know each other more inside and outside the court,” Valdez added.