Tamaru Asaka of guest team Kurashiki Ablaze in the PVL Invitational Conference. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
Japan’s Kurashiki side played well enough in its PVL Invitational Conference debut to win on Friday night and with its coach vowing that his Ablaze will be better the next time around, Cignal will have a lot on its hands in order to stay alive in the title race.
“We’re thankful for the invitation [to play here] and, step by step, we will level up,” said Kurashiki coach Hideo Suzuki through an interpreter after a 23-25, 25-14, 25-20, 25-11 win over Vietnam’s Kinh Bac-Bac Ninh as the two foreign teams finally saw action.
The Ablaze will take on the local teams one by one starting with the HD Spikers at 4 p.m. at PhilSports Arena and with Cignal still licking the wounds of a tough five-set loss to Creamline also Friday, it has no choice but to stop the Japanese squad to stay alive.
One thing that Cignal might have seen on Kurashiki is that the team is dependent on Tamaru Asaka, who exploded for 28 points—all on attacks—against the Vietnamese.
“We know that the local teams are strong but we will do our best, we will show our worth,” said Suzuki. “This is a good experience for us, especially with so many fans. Filipinos really love volleyball.” INQ