By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Reporter
IT was a rousing start for the Philippine women’s volleyball team in the 29th Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, yesterday as it defeated host team Malaysia in straight sets, 25-18, 25-11 and 25-16, in its debut at MITEC Hall 11.
Drawing a solid and balanced effort from the entire team made up of a selection of professional and collegiate standouts, the Filipina spikers was in synch right from the very start and showed no letup in dominating its opponent as the game wore on.
Such steadiness from the team allowed coach Francis Vicente to try out various combinations that hardly stymied the potency of the team collectively.
Jaja Santiago notched 11 kills and a block for team-high 13 points while Aby Marano chipped in 11 markers for the Nationals.
Jovelyn Gonzaga had nine points and Alyssa Valdez finished with eight.
Team captain Mika Reyes said their win over Malaysia was a good start for them as they try to improve on the fifth-place finish that the country had in the event in Singapore in 2015 while also aiming for a podium finish for the first time since 2005.
“This is a good start. But we should still not get complacent. We still have to work hard and win over Vietnam to make it easier for us to reach our goal,” said Ms. Reyes, who finished the game with two points.
With the win, the Philippines assured itself of advancing to the crossover semifinals from Group A after Vietnam defeated Malaysia on Wednesday.
Next for the Philippines is Vietnam today for the top spot in their group that would position them to challenge the second place team from Group B and possibly avert an early encounter with defending gold medallist Thailand.
In the lead-up to the SEA Games, the Philippines defeated Vietnam in the 2017 AVC Asian Senior Women’s Volleyball Championship held in Binan, Laguna, in one of its matches, making their SEA Games encounter all the more anticipated.
The game between the Philippines and Vietnam is set for 2 p.m. also at MITEC Hall 11.
