MANILA – Creamline-Philippines finally registered a win in the 2022 Asian Volleyball Confederation Cup for Women following a 25-19, 25-22, 20-25, 25-14 triumph over Iran on Wednesday night at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
Jessica Galanza spearheaded the offense for the Philippines with 21 points, including 20 attacks, while Diana Carlos and Michele Gumabao added 14 and 13 markers, respectively.
It was the first win in three matches of the Philippine representatives following their 25-19, 25-17, 31-29 loss to Vietnam last Sunday and 25-16, 25-22, 25-20 defeat to China last Tuesday.
“Every single day, our coaches are already there to remind us that we play with no pressure, but with pride for the Philippines. We will fight until the end,” Gumabao said in a post-match interview.
“Every single game, we will always give our best. Whatever happens, we always train, we play volleyball. We will just do our best and continue to improve every single game,” she added.
After failing to close the match in the third set, the Philippine team turned to its improved first ball in the fourth set, as Galanza, Gumabao and Carlos went on attack mode to frustrate their foes.
“We were not able to recover in the third set because we lost our first ball. The Iranians were intimidating with their height when they lost the first ball. Had we had good receivers, we would have good combination plays,” said coach Sherwin Meneses. The national women’s team’s net defense also clicked, as middles Jeanette Panaga and Celine Domingo combined for five blocks. Carlos also gave significant contributions in the blocking department, recording two of the team’s 11 blocks.
“We really need to bounce back. Of course, I needed to step up personally,” said Panaga, who was subpar in their past two games. “If there’s what’s lacking against China, we need to bounce back against Iran.”
Elahe Poor Saleh Shadehsari paced the Iranians with 13 points, including two service aces, while Mahsa Kadkhoda contributed nine points. The loss dropped Iran in a tie with the Philippines in third place in their pool at 1-2./PN
