FOUR of the region’s fast-rising women’s volleyball nations will take center stage in the 2024 Southeast Asian (SEA) V. League.
The annual meet is split into two legs each with three days of competition — Leg 1 slated from Aug. 2 to 4 in Vietnam and Leg 2 from Aug. 9 to 11 in Thailand.
Leg 1 for Alas Pilipinas features a tall order as they take on Vietnam (Aug. 2; 8 p.m.), Thailand (Aug. 3; 5 p.m.), and Indonesia (Aug. 4; 5 p.m.) before doing it all over again come Leg 2 against Thailand (Aug. 9; 7 p.m.), Vietnam (Aug. 10; 4 p.m.), and Indonesia (Aug. 11; 4 p.m.)
READ: Alas places Galanza, Nunag on reserve for SEA V. League Leg 1
Joining the two host countries to complete the cast are Indonesia and a retooled Filipino side.
Finally making her Alas debut after missing out on the two previous home tournaments is two-time UAAP best opposite spiker Alyssa Solomon, who took the time off to recover from a minor knee injury and will team up once more with two-time UAAP MVP Bella Belen, now on her second Alas stint.
Solomon is no stranger to this particular competition as she was recognized as the 2023 tilt's best opposite spiker in both legs. Back then, an assemblage of UAAP stars and pros became the de facto national team.
However, Jema Galanza and Cherry Nunag will sit out Leg 1 as part of head coach Jorge Souza de Brito's mandatory cutoff of the 16-player pool to just 14 in line with the tournament regulations.
READ: Alas Pilipinas seeks another morale-boosting medal in SEA V. League
Come Leg 2 in a week's time, another two players will be taken off and listed as reserves.
Weeks before heading to Vietnam, revitalized Alas ramped up preparations with a two-week training camp in Japan where de Brito had a much-needed coaching assist from his former Olympic rival-turned-club coach Avital Selinger from the Netherlands, who now calls the shots for Japan V.League Division I side Victorina Himeji.
Podium number two?
The nationals won’t just shoot for their second podium finish in three tournaments carrying the Alas monicker.
In fact, the Filipinos are keen to win the Philippines a second SEA V. League medal since the tournament’s inaugural edition in 2019 when they won bronze in both legs in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand and at home in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.
Since the competition resumed in 2022 following the pandemic, the Philippines has finished last in the four-team field.
At the same time, the exact same ranking from first to fourth was sustained — Thailand on top, Vietnam second, Indonesia third, and the Philippines fourth.
Intact - and in-form, hopefully
As it stands, Alas' original 14-woman roster except Angel Canino will see action in the SEA V.League, with Solomon taking her place.
And in the words of team captain Jia de Guzman, such pursuit of continuity should be of utmost importance for the Philippine national team to stay on course en route to a long-term conquest of international competition.
“Because we’re going against teams na tumanda sa loob ng national team, tayo, yun din naman yung goal natin, tumanda kaming magkakasama sa loob ng national team. That’s how you build longevity, that’s how you build chemistry, that’s how you build a strong team in the long run,” de Guzman asserted.
“We can’t expect na isang talo, isang adversity, palit kaagad. Keep the same people, add new people, reinforce the team. That’s how you make a team strong. So hopefully, yun talaga yung magawa natin.”
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