Jia De Guzman said it best.

If you want to know the kind of mindset Alas Pilipinas brings into every game day in the 2025 Asian Volleyball Confederation Women’s Volleyball Nations Cup, talk to the national team captain.

After a character-testing five-set victory over Chinese Taipei in the semifinals late Friday evening, De Guzman said the team had already shifted its focus on the championship match against host Vietnam at Dong Anh Arena.

“[After] our win yesterday against Kazakhstan, the moment we went to the dugout, we knew that today was also going to be a hard game,” the quick-thinking playmaker said.

If that sounded familiar, it’s because that’s the same thing De Guzman said before hammering out the upset against Kazakhstan.

“Honestly, right after [the] game [against New Zealand], the moment we got into the dugout, our minds were already focused on Kazakhstan. We knew today would be a tough match, and we had to give our very best to win,” she said.

Regardless of how the title battle turns out, it’s clear that the national squad is very much focused on what happens next, refusing to be bogged down by defeats or overstay in the euphoria of a big win.

And regardless of what happens next, the team is assured of climbing several rungs up the world ranking.

From No. 56 before the Nations Cup, the Philippines climbed to 46th in the FIVB rankings after that morale-strengthening 25-17, 25-21, 18-25, 15-25, 15-12 escape over the Taiwanese.

The national squad was playing powerhouse Vietnam at press time.

Already, Alas Pilipinas went one better than last year’s history-making squad.

“Last year, our best brought us to the bronze, and this time, it’s [brought] us to [greater] heights,” she said.

“The program is working,” Ramon “Tats” Suzara, the president of the Philippine National Volleyball Federation, said.

Getting tested

The best proof of that program working is that veterans like De Guzman don’t need to shoulder huge responsibilities anymore. The young core, the program’s long-term foundation, has been nothing short of spectacular in the tournament.

Against the Taiwanese, three-time UAAP MVP Bella Belen finished with 14 points, 19 receptions and 16 digs for the Philippines, which was looking to end a 64-year gold medal in a continental-level tournament.

“I’m really happy because we were able to win this game, not just for us but for the Philippines,” Belen said. “No words can explain how much we wanted this game.”

“We knew that semifinals are always hard and they [Taiwanese] gave us a hard night,” national team coach Jorge Souza de Brito said. “But we also knew that we just have once chance to get to the final so I’m proud and very thankful for the girls.”

And the youngsters are getting tested in a way that will only make them stronger in the future.

“Being up two sets, losing two sets, then coming back in the fifth set, that’s really hard to do against a team like Chinese Taipei,” De Guzman said. —WITH A REPORT FROM LANCE AGCAOILI