PH volleybelles net first win in Japan

PH Women’s National Volleyball team. Photo by Bong Lozada

The Philippine women’s volleyball team is improving. But for coach Francis Vicente, it’s not fast enough.

After a series of friendlies with Japanese clubs, the country’s “Dream Team” finally eked out a victory, beating Kobe Shinwa University, 25-21, 23-25, 28-26, 24-26, 17-15, Sunday in Osaka.

Kobe Shinwa coach Kiyokazu Yamamoto said they were forced to make various adjustments against the taller Filipinos, including middle blockers Jaja Santiago and Mika Reyes.

“They [are] getting better each day,” said Yamamoto. “The services were all heavy and we had difficulty plotting our attacks. Jaja also played very well. She used her height effectively and it gave us many problems defensively.”

Yamamoto said the Filipinos, after two weeks in Japan, have already imbibed the fast-paced, defensive-oriented Japanese style of play which was the Nationals’ goal at the start of the training camp.

“This is a big win as far as the morale of the team is concerned. At least we now have an idea that we are slowly progressing,” said Vicente.

“But the real battle is in the AVC and the SEA Games,” added Vicente, referring to the Asian Championships on Aug. 9 to 17, and the Kuala Lumpur Games on Aug. 19 to 30.