Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Mika Reyes has always been a vocal leader or a team’s emotional presence but the charming middle blocker has never played the role of captain.
That changed when Reyes was named captain of the national women’s team and she got one memorable advice from one player who knows a thing or two about being the skipper.
Reyes said Rachel Anne Daquis gave her some guidance before the former national captain left the team on Friday due to other commitments.
“Ate Rachel was always telling me that I will always be the one who will remind my teammates on everything,” said Reyes. “And the most memorable thing that she told me was as a captain I will prioritize my team first before myself.”
Daquis, the captain of the Philippine representative in the FIVB Women’s Club World Championship, made it to the line up for the Southeast Asian Games but was placed in the reserve squad.
For Reyes, she knows the magnitude of her new role and she’s confident she won’t be having a hard time being the team’s guiding voice.
“It’s a really big responsibility but I don’t take it negatively because if I do that I’ll just put unnecessary pressure on myself,” said Reyes
Jovelyn Gonzaga was the team’s captain back in 2015 when the Philippines once again fielded a representative in women’s volleyball.
Alyssa Valdez also captained the Philippines during the AVC Asian Women’s U23 Volleyball Championship.
“I have so much trust on my teammates and we’re not kids anymore,” said the 23-year-old Reyes. “Some of my teammates were team captains before and some of us have been leaders in our previous teams.”