MANILA -- If you talk to Raymond “Babes” Castillo, the first thing you’ll notice is his contagious enthusiasm. Then it’s his boundless energy and positivity.

Castillo laughed. “Why be miserable?” he asked. “Point out the negative but spin it into something positive. Hindi rin naman puwede puro praise because people have to realize what they did (on the volleyball court) is wrong. But it is important to teach them and to encourage them.”

In his first year as college head coach of National University’s (NU) women’s volleyball team, Castillo’s Lady Bulldogs were atop the standings before the spectacular free fall in the second round that, despite its seeming annual occurrence, was shocking and painful to watch.

Yet less than a month after NU was eliminated in the UAAP Final 4, Castillo is already plotting a comeback by his team as BaliPure National University in the upcoming Reinforced Conference of the second Premier Volleyball League (PVL) season.

“Sometimes, you have to take a step back then take two steps forward,” he postulated. “But that’s on me. It’s a learning curve for all of us.”

• LOOK: PVL Season 2 Reinforced Conference schedule

Now in a week’s time, his “new” team -- composed of a few holdovers from his women’s team and his incoming players moving up from the high school ranks -- will begin their arduous climb back to respectability.

The holdovers include Audrey Paran, Roselyn Doria, Gayle Valdez, and Roma Doromal, while the incoming team includes libero Jennifer Nierva, Joyme Cagande, Princess Ann Robles, Alyssa Solomon, Faith Nisperos, Michaela Belen, and Ivy Lacsina.

The American reinforcements for BaliPure NU should plane in this week.

“This Reinforced Conference is actually where our Season 81 begins,” bared Castillo. “We want to expose our players to a higher level of competition to get them ready for the college season. Right now, almost all of them are rookies. What we achieved in high school together doesn’t mean much in the college level for many reasons. Recruiting is at a premium. The competition is higher. And well, it’s different when you are covered on a national level. So this is good exposure.”

“At the same time, we have to temper everyone’s expectations. The girls have to understand that this is a different level.”

“Our players will also learn not only from the games and the older and higher competition but also from our own imports – how they go about their business. They skills, attitude, and approach to the game. So there is much to be learned,” summed up Castillo.

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