Faith Nisperos admits getting a morale boost from Jia de Guzman, leading to her strong performances in Alas Pilipinas' last two matches in the preliminaries of the 2024 AVC Challenge Cup.
A simple sign of encouragement can go a long way for a player.
In the case of Faith Nisperos, the trust given by team captain and setter Jia de Guzman has proven to be just what she needed to help Alas Pilipinas secure a 4-0 record in the 2024 AVC Challenge Cup.
Stepping onto the court for the first time in the team’s third game against Iran, Nisperos made an immediate impact, securing the team’s last two crucial points for the win.
But what made it more special was de Guzman calling the final play for Nisperos, which she delivered.
[ALSO READ: “Bakit nakakaiyak?” #WWWSKPH lead Kim Chui moved by Jia De Guzman's captain call for Faith Nisperos in Alas Pilipinas]
The Akari Chargers star was then inserted in the starting lineup in Alas’ match against Chinese Taipei, where she contributed nine points in the team’s straight-sets victory.
“It is definitely a one-time experience na nakasama ko si ate Jia inside the court and her calling me was malaking bagay for me kasi talagang pinakita na may tiwala siya sa akin,” Nisperos told reporters after the match.
“If may tiwala siya sa akin, siyempre ako din dapat mag-tiwala sa sarili ko,” she added.
[ALSO READ: AVC: Jia De Guzman swells with pride as semis-bound Alas Pilipinas complete emphatic Pool A sweep]
But more than delivering points for the team, Nisperos is also thankful to be given a chance to show off her skills in the biggest stages.
“I wanna to maximize every chance I can get and get all the experience I can get and ipakita 'yung skills ko every chance I can get, so I'm really grateful binigyan ako ng chance and also my other teammates who played today,” said Nisperos.
With her confidence and morale at an all-time high, Nisperos will look to help Alas Pilipinas make even more history as they look to defeat Kazakhstan in the semifinals oft the AVC Challenge Cup.
“Talagang boost na boost ako because of my teammates, my coaches, and, of course, all of the supporters here. Talagang malaking bagay for me and I'm actually very enlightened to play [on Tuesday],” said Nisperos.
[ALSO READ: Eya Laure says Alas Pilipinas ready to make even more history after AVC Challenge Cup semis berth]
Alas Pilipinas will face Kazakhstan on Tuesday, May 29, at 7:00 p.m. at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila.