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MANILA, Philippines – With only 10 days separating now and the return of the Philippines in the volleyball tournament of the SEA Games, the national squad needs to get used to the system and schemes of Head Coach Roger Gorayeb as soon as they can before going up against their competition.
Aside from that, the Philippine team will also need to find leaders they can rely on in Singapore when their game plan gets disrupted by their opponents. Even more, they will need a role model to keep them in check away from the court in order to remain concentrated on the task at hand.
That responsibility should be handled by Team Captain Jovelyn Gonzaga, but her Shakey’s V-League teammate, 27-year-old Rachel Anne Daquis, is also up to the challenge.
“Syempre, unang-una, yung leadership,” Daquis told Rappler about her responsibilities as being one of the national team’s veterans. “Dapat ikaw yung nag le-lead sakanila, ikaw yung role model, ikaw yung good example sakanila, and yun yung isa pang way para ma-enlighten sila kung paano maging leader through me.”
(Of course first of all is the leadership: you have to be the one to lead them, you’re the role model, you’re the good example, and I’m another way for them to get enlightened on what it takes to be a leader.)
The Philippines, who has been absent from the volleyball competition of the SEA Games for 10 years, is slotted in Group B along with Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The last time the team took home gold was in 1993.
Daquis, a former Shakey’s V-League MVP with the Lady Troopers, will also be one of the scoring sources the team will rely on in addition to being one of the senior players on the 12-woman roster.
“Kung baga, papakita ko paano maging isang ate sa loob nang court, and hindi lang saloob nang court, dapat rin outside the court,” said the outside hitter who helped lead FEU to a UAAP title in 2007 and two other finals appearances.
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The national team was formed just in the second week of May, giving them less than a month to prepare for the SEA Games. But despite the short time to train, Daquis is confident she and her teammates will perform well in Singapore.
“Super short din yung preparation, but we have trust with each other and we all know naman naglalaro kami,” she said.
“Yung conditioning, nandiyan yun. Condition yung katawan namin, and may sarili kaming mga club teams, and most importantly is, magkaka-teammates kami; kung baga naging teammates kami before, so hindi ganon ka laki adjustment.”
(Our preparation is super short, but we have trust in each other and we all know that we’re playing. Our conditioning is there. Our bodies are conditioned, we have club teams, and most importantly, we’re teammates; so for instance, there are those here who I’ve been teammates with before, so it’s not that big of an adjustment.)
While Ateneo players in the national team like Alyssa Valdez, Denden Lazaro, Jia Morado, and Bea De Leon are already used to the system being implemented by Gorayeb and Coach Tai Bundit, Daquis, Gonzaga, Aby Marano, and others in the team are still getting used to the coaching staff’s style of play.
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Other than the in-game techniques, Daquis and company are also learning the mantra that Bundit made famous while leading the Lady Eagles to two consecutive UAAP titles, which he is also trying to instill in the national squad: Heartstrong.
“Nakaktuwa kasi iba yung system nila, so mas, kung baga for us, mas na e-enjoy namin, and parang lalo pa namin sinasabi, ‘ah, gusto namin lumakas,’” said Daquis.
“Hinihintay namin kung paano kami lalakas kasi grabe yung training namin. Galing din nila mag pa training so kami, parang, tingnan natin ano yung magiging result. Excited kami kung ano man yun.”
(It’s funny because their system is different. Like, for us, we’re enjoying and it makes us want to get stronger. We’re waiting for how to improve because our training is intense. Our coaches are great at training us. We’re excited for whatever the results will be.)
“Unang-una kasi, yun yung dine-develop niya. Gusto niya (Bundit) happiness, kung baga sa lahat nang aspect, pag dating sa pag-lalaro, nanduon yung happiness.”
(First of all, that’s what he develops. He wants happiness, like, with every aspect, when it comes to playing, the happiness has to be there.)
When asked if the Philippine team has a specific goal for the tournament, Daquis said that what she can promise is that the entire team will give everything they can for the country.
“We’ll just do our best for the country and para din saamin. Kung baga, yung lahat nang paghihirap namin, gusto din namin magkaroon nang parang good reward for our team.”
(We’ll do our best for the country and for ourselves. Everything we’re working hard for, we also want to have a good reward for our team.)
– Rappler.com
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