Dindin Santiago-Manabat. PVL PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines – Despite a losing debut against Akari, Dindin Santiago-Manabat kept faith in his young teammates during the 2023 All-Filipino Games of the Premier League.
Manabat had an impressive first game as the Chargers with the highest 17 in the game but they lost to Choco Mucho Flying Titans in consecutive sets, 25-15, 25-20, 25- 20, on Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The opposition veteran admitted the team had concerns in the first set despite standing strong in the final two sets only for Maddie Madayag, Bea De Leon and Kat Tolentino to restore order to the Flying Titans.
“I think we are still in a phase where people are still in shock. We are very surprised [by Choco Mucho’s attacks]. But it’s just our first game. We have to learn more, get to know each other better and help each other,” Manabat said in Filipino shortly after the loss. “I’m looking forward to giving our best to this team.”
Manabat is sticking to the positives after seeing so much potential from her young teammates.
“My team is young but has potential. We still have a lot to learn, but with the help of our coaches, we can slowly develop our full potential,” said the former foreign player. “We can also do what our opponents have done to us. We need more effort, perseverance and work as one to bring our A-game.
“We’ve only been together a few weeks. Give us more time, month and year. For sure, my young teammates will bring out their full potential and we will be able to stay on track and get good results in the tournament,” she added.
Manabat, who has decided to start again after six years with Chery Tiggo, is grateful to be a part of the team that just entered PVL during the Boost Conference.
“As you can see, I am very happy. I always say I want to explore and learn more. Akari gave it to me with coach Jorge [Souza de Brito] and they also give me the opportunity to help them in addition to learning from them,” said the 29-year-old tennis player. “I’m very happy to be here. Every time we train, I learn a lot and become more patient.”
Akari will have a tough second game against F2 Logistics on Saturday at Philsports Arena.
Manabat hopes to work out their flaws after making 23.
“We haven’t seen F2 yet so we have to spy on them. We had to communicate more and deal with our flaws from the first game. We need to stay focused even if we lose a set, we have to stay positive and keep fighting,” she said.
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