Alas Pilipinas eyes a shocker versus the dreaded China – BusinessWorld Online
MENTALLY ready.
That is how Alas Pilipinas women’s coach Taka Minowa sees his team as they face a dreaded China with hopes of a miracle in Wednesday’s start of volleyball competitions at the Park Arena Komaki in the 20th Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in Japan.
“We are mentally ready to face the Chinese. We’ll try our very best,” said Mr. Minowa, a Japanese who is also the husband of Sachi Minowa or Jaja Santiago.
The Filipinas though will go into their 1 p.m. duel (Philippine time) with the Chinese as the complete underdogs, with the latter expected to vent their ire on the former after being recently denied a gold in the AVC Continental Cup in Tianjin, China and a spot to the 2028 LA Olympics.
While Alas is hoping and praying for a shocker, it can, however, afford to lose this one and advance to the quarterfinals if they can turn back Kazakhstan in their Pool B duel on Thursday.
The top two in each of the four brackets will advance to the quarters and the Nationals hope they would be the ones to that.
Alas will be bannered by Bella Belen, Alyssa Solomon, Eya Laure and Angel Canino while the other members of the squad are Niña Ytang, Mars Alba, Justine Jazareno, Dell Palomata, Amie Provido, Thea Gagate, Jia de Guzman and Shaina Nitura.
Alas is hoping to replicate, if not eclipse, the Philippines’ best finish in the quadrennial games in the sport at fourth in the 1962 Jakarta edition. — Joey Villar