Takeaways from Usapang PSL Episode 3: Sister Act and More

As Benny Benitez said it at the beginning, "It's gonna be a fun discussion"

As it turned out, Benitez was right in that essence as aside from having the "four best players in the Philippine SuperLiga (PSL)", the third of Usapang PSL also featured veteran volleyball analyst in Tex Suter who helped in navigating the discussion. To open the discussion, Benitez talked to PSL bosses in PSL Chairman Philip Juico, PSL President Ian Laurel, and Pinoyliga.com sports columnist, Vince Juico, and that, the PSL heads gave updates on the league's attempts to resume the season.

Explaining the state of the sports in general, PSL Chairman Juico began by saying that "Volleyball is on a hiatus" but that doesn't stop the league from working as the chairman said that he has already met with stakeholders as well as team owners to discuss their next moves. According to Chairman Juico, the league has already sent its resumption proposal to the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) who then forwarded the proposal to the Department of Health who stands ass the lead agency of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Emerging Infectious Diseases. The PSL chairman also added that they are looking at ll angles that they could look on in terms of what is the safest way for the league to resume.

PSL President Ian Laurel then chimed in by reiterating that the PSL remains "optimistic" on the league's resumption once the government allows them to do so. Laurel then mentioned that one of the important factors being discussed in the proposal is the condition of the volleyball players who, like almost everybody, got stuck at home after the government placed the country under community quarantine due to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Laurel said that the league's primary property, for now, is for the players to be able to practice with their teams and even said that the players will need two to four weeks' worth of conditioning time before the games themselves but also noted that it could longer because of the travel restrictions. Dr. Laurel also shared that PSL has already formed its own medical oversight  committee 

And that was only the first part of the episode. The other half of the episode featured Tex Suter talking with not one but two pairs of sisters in the volleyball community in Jaja and Dindin Santiago and, EJ and Eya Laure. Incidentally, both pairs played their high school careers at the University of  Santo Tomas with the Santiago sisters even part of that UST dream team that remained a dream. While the Laures remained in UST for college, the Santiagos went on to be known as the twin towers of the National University Lady Bulldogs that made the Final Four consistently in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP). And yes, all four players are now teammates with the Chery Tiggo Crossovers under Coach Aaron Velez.

One of the things that Tex Suter asked both pairs is what is keeping them busy during the quarantine. The answer is almost identical as both pairs of sisters mentioned that they are continuously doing on their home workouts on top of spending more quality time with their respective families. The Laures' situation was a bit different as they needed to balance their time as they also attended online classes.

Suter also asked whether the sisters would treat each other as "sisters" or as teammates whenever they are playing and again, their answers are identical. as both pairs mentioned the importance of being constantly open to advice and always being ready to give out advice whenever needed. EJ Laure also shared that during their high school days, she and Eya used to fight and their collegiate career together has brought them closer to one another. 

Being two of the Filipina volleyball players who played in Japan, a fan asked the Santiago siblings about their plans overseas. Jaja said that she will return to the same team that she has been playing for in Japan while Dindin Santiago-Manabat revealed that she is still waiting for work offers from two countries. 

The Santiagos also shared what, for them, is the difference between Japanese volleyball and Philippine volleyball. As Tex Suter said, "It's not the lack of talent. It's the lack of system" and for the tall sisters, Philippine volleyball lacks system and even mentioned that the head coach of the national team gets changed from time to time. They also shared that Japanese players who suit up for their national team aren't allowed to play in their commercial leagues. Santiago-Manabat also mentioned the importance of having the longer preparation time for our national team to be able to put ourselves on the same level as that of our opponents. 

The players also discussed their struggles in their transition from one playing position to another with both telling Suter that their transition has been easy with Eya Laure even sharing that her coaches in UST don't allow them to play just one position and that alone made it easier for the players to switch positions. 

Tonight's episode was shorter than usual but in the end, Benny Benitez was right. It was a fun-filled discussion.

Screenshot is from the Facebook page of Pinoyliga.com