‘Die for the ball’ is Ybañez battle cry in biennial meet debut
Josh Ybañez vows to “die for the ball” as he makes his Southeast Asian (SEA) Games debut with Alas Pilipinas in the 33rd edition in Thailand starting next week.
Alas, which seeks to translate a memorable FIVB World Championship into a podium finish in the biennial meet, will continue to rely on Ybañez as its main libero, along with veteran Vince Lorenzo, flag-bearer and captain Bryan Bagunas and 10-year veteran Marck Espejo.
Also part of the roster are 2019 SEA Games silver medalists Owa Retamar and Kim Malabunga, as well as World Championship campaigners Leo Ordiales, Buds Buddin, Louie Ramirez, Jade Disquitado, Eco Adajar, Peng Taguibolos, Lloyd Josafat and new addition Al-Bukharie Sali.
Ybañez, who has been thriving as Alas libero, will leave everything on the floor with his crucial role of keeping the ball alive and setting the pace to execute coach Angiolino Frigoni’s plays.
“My mindset in games is simple, what coach Angiolino always says: ‘Die for the ball.’ That’s it,” Ybañez told the Inquirer in Filipino.
Receiving and digging the ball sent by the top international teams isn’t new for Ybañez, as his teammates have brought the same power in training for the past two years.
“Facing powerful hitters isn’t new to me, because even in training, my teammates are all strong. So they’re not much different from the opponents we’ll face. I think it’s really the system I need to adapt to and adjust to,” he said.
Even though he’s a two-time UAAP MVP and the focal point of University of Santo Tomas’ offense for the past three seasons, returning to his original position libero wasn’t hard for the 22-year-old national team standout, either.
“It’s a difficult role, but when you enjoy it, it doesn’t feel that hard. When you’re having fun, you don’t think about it as a burden. When you enjoy what you’re doing and you’re constantly learning, you actually crave more,” Ybañez said. “Since I’m an outside spiker for UST, it’s not that far from my role in Alas. Outside hitters defend too; they’re actually the main passers.”
Alas’ inspiring run in the World Championship took the sport to a higher notch and also the expectations from the whole country.
Ybañez and his team chose to focus on their progress and their goal to bring the Philippines back to the podium after two consecutive fifth-place finishes in the past two SEA Games.
“If we think too much … we’ll just feel more pressure. So we’d rather focus on what we have and show what our team can really do,” he said.
“I may be one of the youngest, but it doesn’t matter how old I am. I believe I have leadership inside the court. And people will see a more mature version of me—someone who can take on a leadership role during matches.”
Alas men’s team is in Pool B, battling Myanmar on Dec. 13 and Cambodia the next day. The Filipinos take on defending champion Indonesia on Dec. 16.
