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[av_heading heading=’ SEAG Final 4 stint a feat in itself – spikers’ coach ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=’30’ subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY ADRIAN STEWART CO
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MANILA – Despite failing to get a medal in the 29th Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Philippine women’s volleyball head coach Francis Vicente was pleased with the performance of his players.
Considering their limited time to prepare, for them reach the semifinals was already an achievement, Vicente said.
“Iyong pumasok ka lang sa Final Four, may na-achieve ka na e,” said Vicente. “Iyong mga nakalaban namin, matagal na silang nag-ensayo. Kami wala pang isa’t kalahating buwan.”
But “this is not the end. Our quest for gold will definitely not stop here,” he added. “We will continue to work hard and do everything to reach our goal. We will not stop dreaming.”
Vicente also hopes he can keep his current lineup intact and, at the same time, tap some younger players from the Premier V-League and the Philippine Superliga to increase their pool to 25.
The Philippine women’s volleyball team had an impressive debut in the biennial SEA Games after sweeping Malaysia (25-18, 25-11, 25-16) but suffered a 24-26, 12-25, 23-25 loss to Vietnam.
In the semifinals, the Philippines failed to keep in step with Thailand, losing 21-25, 17-25, 17-25, and then settled for a fourth place finish after again losing to Vietnam 27-25, 22-25, 20-25, 21-25./PN
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