MANILA, Philippines —Dell Palomata displayed her international poise as she delivered her best performance of the tournament against the towering Zhetysu squad of Kazakhstan in the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Champions League on Thursday.

While  PLDT absorbed a 13-25, 22-25, 20-25 loss to exit in the quarterfinals,  Palomata impressed and delivered seven points against the Kazakhs, who have an average height of 5-foot-9.

READ: Coach confident PLDT will be better after AVC exit

“Honestly, my mindset was just to fight. The opponents were really tall and strong, so I knew we had no choice — we had to fight back,” Palomata, an Alas Pilipinas mainstay, told reporters in Filipino.

“It pushed me to want to work harder, especially in training. The players we faced were incredibly strong, especially the ones from Kazakhstan. They were so tall. I was overwhelmed, but it made me want to level up even more.”

Palomata led PLDT’s gallant stand in the final two sets, even helping her team to a 21-20 edge in the second frame. But the High Speed Hitters fell short in the end, allowing Zhetysu to advance to the semifinals.

READ: PVL: Alas Pilipinas stint hones Dell Palomata for PLDT duties

Despite the loss, the veteran middle blocker relished the opportunity to compete on the international stage.

“It was really overwhelming for all of us. This kind of opportunity doesn’t come often, so we were just grateful to be there. It was a big deal for us as players,” Palomata said.

“It feels amazing. The whole experience really boosted my confidence — being part of Alas and getting to face international players at the AVC was huge for me.”

And she believes the experience will benefit PLDT as it looks ahead to future PVL conferences.

“I think we matured a lot in the way we play. We’re starting to see the game differently now,” Palomata said.