Why I love women’s volleyball
IT HAS been almost 10 years since I fell in love with women’s volleyball here.
That was the the time an old friend Alvin Lu, then team manager of Foton in the now-defunct Pilipinas Super Liga( PSL) invited me to watch the games.
I did, and there was no turning back. I was hooked on the sport the suame way I was with basketball early in my sportswriting days more than 45 years ago.
In fact women’s volleyball, the commercial and professional side, is the only sport now that I regularly watch live.
And that includes the recently- concluded Asian Volleyball Championship (AVC) Challenger Cup held at Rizal Memorial Coliseum that attracted thousands of fans everyday.
And we were all rewarded for the effort, the support, and the love we gave to our Alas team, a team that unfortunately had very little time to train together for the simple reason the team was formed late, a regular recurring thing in this sport.
No, we did not win the championship, we lost to a better-playing team, Kazakhstan, in the semifinals, the same way Australia lost to Vietnam in its own semifinals match that set up a Kazakhstan-Vietnam finals while we were to battle it out with Australia for the bronze.
Of course we all know the game results on the final day by now.
Vietnam, which was supported by the big local crowd that remained after the Philippines-Australia rematch, beat the stubborn Kazakhs in three sets, same way we beat the Aussies.
It was the first time ever for us to make it to the final four, first time for a podium finish, which enabled us to improve our international and Asian ranking, 55th and 9th respectively I believe.
I think the fans were more for Vietnam simply because Kazakhstan booted us out in the semifinals, and wanted a revenge win by Vietnam.
Our team had its share of detractors prior to the start of the tournament, criticizing the line-up, the lateness of the formation, and some, vocal against the coach, though after winning consecutive games in the elimination, everyone started supporting the team.
On the line-up, for me it was a good mix of collegiate players , upcoming players and established stars in the Premiere Volleyball League( PVL) which was tasked to form the team, the likes of Angel Canino and Thea Gagate, Julia Coronel, and Arah Panique from the UAAP, then from the PVL, superstars Eya Laure, Sisi Rondina, and Dawn Macandili-Catibdig, the emerging stars like Vanie Gandler, Fifi Sharma, Faith Nisperos, Jen Nierva, and of course, Jia Morada -de Guzman, on vacation here from Japan and she accepted the offer to suit up anew for the national team, good thing that she did.
Jia was appointed team captain , and it was a role that fitted her perfectly , showing her worth as a master setter but more than that, her leadership skills, everyone on the team looked up to her and respected her, and in turn, she showed why she was the Kapitana.
And for me, I just hope that with the SEA Games set in 2025, for once, the national leadership in the sport keep the core of the team but tweaking it a little with the inclusion of Bella Belen and Alyssa Solomon from the UAAP, and why not Tots Carlos and Jema Galanza from the PVL
Heard too that the pool will be expanded and the players will get monthly allowances.
So to answer the question why have I learned to love this game, I have a lot of reasons, for one, I love the genuine love of players for the game, then their unbridled enthusiasm, spontaneity, and passion for the game, and the off the court friendships between players from opposing teams.
The fact that there are many pretty faces among them is a big factor too, the swag of some players, just look at Eya, Angel, Sisi, and Aby Marano, among others, is another part of my enjoyment when I watch the game, same with the impromptu dances of players on and off the court.
The interesting stories about players’ personal relationships, which for me is why there are many fans who are fans of players and not necessarily the game, it is another attraction, however there is a downside here, fans become very subjective in the way they view the game.
You should follow the on line bashing and very subjective opinions of fans when it comes to their favorite players come selection times for individual players’ awards or getting named to the national team.
Generally too, players treat their fans well, appreciating the adulation and attention showered on them by fans, something I hope does not change in the future.
The turn over of talents too, from high school to college to the pro ranks, it is a continuous thing with new volleyball darlings emerging with regularity.
Throw in the fact that Jaja Santiago might just end up playing in the Paris Summer Olympics this year, never mind that it will be for Japan, she is a homegrown Filipina and will always remain one for me, another reason why I live this game.
So what is the future of the sport now, seeing how it has captured a very big fan base?
Bright, we have the talents, but we need to manage the sport well with a long term and adhered-to developmental program, the good thing with our talent base, we have good tall players to go with our smaller players.
I will look forward to the 2025 SEA Games for sure.
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