Meralco’s tandem of Cebuana Jusabelle Brillo and University of Santo Tomas ace Jem Gutierrez intends to flip the script as they head to the winner-take-all quarterfinals of the the PLDT Home Ultera Philippine Superliga Beach Volleyball 2015 this Saturday at the Sands by the Bay at the SM Mall of Asia.
They may not be the tallest, the most skilled and the most experienced, but Brillo and Gutierrez believe that trust on each other can carry them through. A seasoned spiker from University of the Visayas, Brillo and the 19-year old Gutierrez had a solid start as they crushed Benguet Electric Cooperative (Beneco) of Cindy Benitez and Florence May Madulid in the opener of this prestigious tournament. But luck refused to smile their way as they suffered a three-set meltdown against Fiola Ceballos and Patty Orendain of Foton Tornadoes last week, a setback which they attributed to strong wind and a thunderstorm that struck the metro over the weekend.
“Ang beach volleyball, hindi po yan puro lang height, skills o experience. Dapat may tiwala din po sa isa’t isa,” said Brillo who has competed in the past two editions of the Asian Beach Games in Bali, Indonesia and Phuket, Thailand.
“Kahit natalo po kami sa Foton dahil malakas ang hangin at medyo bumabagyo, hindi na po namin iniisip yun. Ang importante ay magtiwala lang kami sa isa’t isa. Kasi kung magiging solid po kami, kahit sino pa man ang makalaban namin, makakaya naming talunin.”