Imus-Ivy Tuason Photography, one of the title favorites in the 2023 Spikers' Turf Open Conference, has faced challenges early in the season.
The AJAA Spikers started the conference with a bang, winning their first two games against Santa Rosa City in four sets and Philippine Air Force in straight sets.
However, their winning streak was short-lived as they faced a setback against Cignal, another top team, who dominated Imus with a score of 25-16, 25-22, 25-22 on February 3, limiting the performance of key players Louie Ramirez, Hero Austria, and Kim Malabunga.
Just last Friday, the AJAA Spikers were on track for a revenge victory against Philippine Navy, with strong performances in the first two frames, 25-20 and 25-16. However, the team became complacent in the third set, which Malabunga later regretted.
He said, "What happened in the third set was that our game relaxed, we got too comfortable, and became too confident, and that's how they caught up."
The AJAA Spikers managed to bounce back in the nick of time and secured a victory in the fifth set, returning to the win column.
With a record of 3-1, Imus is currently in fourth place, just below undefeated teams Iloilo, Cignal, and AMC-Cotabato. The challenges faced by the team, such as the loss against HD Spikers and the almost-let up against Navy, will serve as a crucial lesson for the AJAA Spikers in the future.
Head Coach Sammy Acaylar is grateful that these challenges occurred early in the conference, with six more games to play in the preliminary round. He believes that this will help his players avoid becoming complacent.
He said, "This will greatly help my players to avoid becoming too confident. As a coach, I don't like it when there is complacency because it lowers the morale of the players after a loss."
Malabunga echoes his coach's sentiments and is looking forward to the arrival of top spiker Bryan Bagunas, who is expected to join the team on the second or third week of March, during the last two weeks of the preliminary round. During this time, the team will only have two games left to play.
The team has discussed their shortcomings and is focused on improving their communication and service receive on the court.
Malabunga said, "We talked about improving our communication and service receive on the court, which we failed to apply during our loss against Cignal."
He added, "When coming from a loss, it's important to win immediately."
The AJAA Spikers are determined to bounce back from their challenges and strive for a successful finish in the 2023 Spikers' Turf Open Conference.
