MANILA, Philippines — Akari's Faith Nisperos did not see action in Alas Pilipinas' first two games in the ongoing AVC Challenge Cup for Women at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
And in the Philippines' third game in the tournament against Iran on Saturday, May 25, the former Ateneo standout was only fielded by coach Jorge Souza de Brito in the latter part of the third set.
A consummate professional, Nisperos did not complain and made the most of her limited time, scoring the last two points of the match as Alas dominated Iran, 25-16, 25-13, 25-15, to go 3-0 and secure a semis spot in the tournament.
"Of course, I do everything with every chance that I can get, that's why when I got fielded in the game, what I was thinking was that this is for my teammates, coaches, and for the country, so I'm going to fight."
That Nisperos not playing in Alas' first two games and in the first two sets of the national team's third game only made the home crowd miss her even more.
When she got fielded, the Filipino fans showered her with cheers, one of the loudest for any Alas player in the match.
The 5-foot-11 Nisperos, who was converted from outside to opposite hitter for this tournament, said it's heartwarming to have received such kind of support.
"We're in our home court, that's why I really felt the support of the whole nation, the fans were very wild, it's so heartwarming."
Nisperos and the rest of Alas Pilipinas wrap up their pool play against Taiwan on Saturday, May 26 still at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.