Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—John Vic De Guzman has some unfinished business in the international stage, but this time he’ll have a former teammate by his side once again.
After failing to advance to the knockout stages in 2017, De Guzman is eager to go to the 2019 Southeast Asian Games with a renewed sense of confidence especially with Marck Espejo on the team.
De Guzman captained the 2017 team in Malaysia but the best they could do was win one set against Indonesia.
“I’m excited for this year’s SEA Games because the lineup is different,” said De Guzman, the NCAA’s MVP and Best Opposite Spiker in Season 92 for College of St. Benilde.
Coming into De Guzman’s team is the duo of Espejo and Ish Polvorosa, who dominated the UAAP during their five years in Ateneo.
Together the pair won three straight titles with Espejo winning five MVPs and Polvorosa taking five Best Setter plums.
De Guzman was filled with joy that he will once again team up with his teammates from 2015 especially with Espejo who’s played as an import with Oita Miyoshi Wiesse Ader in Japan’s V.League.
“I’m really happy and proud that one of my teammates from the 2015 SEA Games is back and he was even an import in Japan,” said De Guzman of Espejo. “It just means that this team will fight.”
“The one thing that Espejo and I talked about is that we’ll get back at our opponents the moment we become teammates again. Before he went to Japan that was what we talked about.”