LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Benguet Stingers men and women held a grasp of victory as they secured silver medals for both teams in the volleyball secondary division tournament at the Benguet Sports Complex Gym, Wangal, La Trinidad, on February 27 for the 2025 Cordillera Administrative Region Athletic Association (CARAA) meet.
Despite emerging as the second placer in the volleyball secondary bout, the Benguet Stingers still take the championship battle as an achievement.
“We’re very proud na na-attain nila iyong ganito. It’s because last year, we placed third, and for this year, we placed second for both boys and girls so that this is an achievement for each and every one,” Oliver Jimenez, Benguet Stingers volleyball women team coach, shared.
The Benguet Stingers volleyball women lost to Baguio City E-lions, 3-0, with a close match on the first set, 26-28, while being crushed by their opponent on the second and third sets, 16-25, 12-25.
“Dito sa girls, iyong pinaka-challenge sa amin is tao, iyong mga players. Since we came from small schools, wala tayong manpower when it comes to playing at late naman dumating iyong memo regarding the additional three so mag-isa lang iyong nakuha natin. But for the core, we just came from small schools na 181 lang ang population,” Jimenez said.
He furthered that the girls have shown their determination to win and instilled their focus on the game, which became their strength during their play.
“Nakita naman natin set 1, they strived and fought back sa mga attacks ng Baguio but, anya ngay garud, round ti bola. Hindi sila naka-recover noong second set but hopefully sana kung nakuha natin iyong first set, baka iba yung tempo ng laro,” he said.
He also shared his sentiments about the lack of facilities in their school in Itogon, a municipality of Benguet.
“Sa akin, ang defense kasi sa volleyball, very important is you know how to use your skill in diving and slides tapno mahabol mo iyong mga bola. Pero dito, (Benguet Sports Complex Gym) new sa kanila and facility at hindi nila alam kung paano gamitin. They are just using their skills based on the instructional videos galing sa YouTube,” he enthused.
He explained that the place in their school where they train is just a cemented ground, which hinders them from honing their skills in diving and sliding to keep the ball in their court and score a point during their game.
The Benguet Stingers volleyball men’s team coach, Oliver Camacho, also shared the same struggles regarding their facilities in Sablan, municipality of Benguet.
“Sa amin sa Sablan kasi, wala kaming gym sa high school. So, ang ginagawa namin is 4 o’clock iyong dismissal namin, tapos takbo kami agad sa municipal hall gym,” he said.
Similar to the women’s volleyball team, he said that one of their struggles is the DepEd memo wherein they should have an additional three players from other schools to complete their team with only two weeks advise when they received the memo, making it shorter for the team to build their chemistry while on the game.
“At least ngayon alam na namin iyong ang requirements so pwede siguro pagkatapos ng provincial meet dito, kukunin namin kaagad other players para mag-bonding sila as a team and also e-coordinate and kanilang rhythm,” he added.
Still, he remains happy and proud that they claimed second place, wishing that their trainings together with new members were longer. If they had received the memo earlier, then they would have had a better chance to win the gold medal.
The Benguet Stingers men claimed victory in the second set, 25-23, while their opponent, the Baguio City E-lions, took the first, third, and fourth sets, 27-25, 25-15, and 25-22, respectively, during their championship battle.
“Sa galing po ng mga players ng mga Baguio, nakakalito po silang basahin,” Aryan Florida, the Benguet Stingers men’s team captain, said.
He shared that one of the challenges they faced during their preparation was when their other team members were not allowed by their parents to attend some of their training because of household responsibilities. He furthered that they have struggled to build chemistry with new members.
The Benguet Stingers men and women still emerged victorious, for they have upskilled during this year’s CARAA meet compared to the last tournament for the volleyball secondary division. By Lyka Capsula
