The Alas Pilipinas team, which just won a historic bronze medal at the AVC Challenge Cup, will remain in the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF), the organization declared on Thursday. To build on its recent success and sustain it, the team will also welcome some new members.
The PNVF president, Tats Suzara, stated, “The goal is to keep this team together and add more athletes from the college ranks,” after the Filipinas defeated Australia at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum, earning the nation’s first podium result in any Asian-level competition.
“This achievement is a breakthrough and historic. The next logical step is to strengthen this team and make it even more competitive,” Suzara stated.
College standouts Bella Belen, Alyssa Solomon, and Casiey Dongallo are expected to be on the roster, according to Suzara. They will join an already outstanding group that includes Jia de Guzman, the best setter in the AVC Challenge Cup, and Angel Canino, the greatest outside spiker.
The contract of Brazilian coach Jorge Souza de Brito, which ends next month, is also scheduled to be extended. De Brito hasn’t decided yet, though, about the extension.
Suzara thinks the squad will have a good chance of vying for a medal in Thailand at the Southeast Asian Games the following year if everything goes according to plan.
“Next year, in the SEA Games, I believe we’ll have a very strong fighting chance,” he stated.
