THE VTV International Women's Volleyball Cup, better known as the VTV Cup, is an annual invitational tournament hosted by the Volleyball Federation of Vietnam with national broadcaster Vietnam Television as title sponsor.
This will be the third straight year that a Philippine team is set to join the competition, which will be held from June 28 to July 5 in Vinh Phuc, Vietnam.
READ: Van Sickle, Andaya lead 8 new faces in Alas lineup for VTV Cup
Headlining the eight-team field are host Vietnam’s senior and under-21 national teams and defending champion Korabelka from Russia.
Among the competing national teams are Alas Pilipinas, Chinese-Taipei, Australia, and Thailand’s under-21 unit branded as Est Cola.
The other club team apart from the Russian champion is China’s Sichuan Wuliangchun.
Joining Alas in Pool A are Vietnam, Australia, and Sichuan.
The opposite pool features Korabelka, Chinese-Taipei, and the under-21 teams of Vietnam and Thailand.
The semifinals, battle for third, and finals will all be comprised of knockout matches.
Classification matches will follow suit after the quarterfinal round for the fifth to eighth places.
Alas roster, schedule
Alas head coach Jorge Souza de Brito introduced a mix of holdovers, returnees, and debutants for this year’s VTV Cup.
There are eight new faces and six notable absentees from the silver-winning AVC Nations Cup squad.
Here is the full breakdown of the nationals’ 14-strong roster:
- ADDITIONS: Brooke Van Sickle, MJ Phillips, Tia Andaya, Alleiah Malaluan, Maddie Madayag, Amie Provido, Justine Jazareno, Mars Alba, Leila Cruz, Lams Lamina
- HOLDOVERS: Jia de Guzman (C), Eya Laure, Dawn Macandili-Catindig, Dell Palomata
- RESERVES: Thea Gagate, Fifi Sharma, Vanie Gandler
- EXCLUSIONS: Angel Canino, Bella Belen, Alyssa Solomon, Shaina Nitura, Jen Nierva, Cla Loresco
Meanwhile, their Pool A match schedule is as follows:
- ALAS PILIPINAS vs. VIETNAM | June 29 (Sunday) | 8 p.m.
- ALAS PILIPINAS vs. SICHUAN (CHINA) | June 30 (Monday) | 5:30 p.m.
- ALAS PILIPINAS vs. AUSTRALIA | July 1 (Tuesday) | 3 p.m.
Philippines’ VTV Cup track record
The Philippines has experienced the highs and lows of competing in the Vietnam-hosted tilt.
In 2023, Choco Mucho represented the country and went on to win the bronze medal in their first international stint as a club.
Maddie Madayag, also part of Alas’ VTV Cup team this year, won best middle blocker in that 2023 run with the Flying Titans, while Sisi Rondina was named best outside hitter.
A different story unraveled in 2024 when the NU Lady Bulldogs became the de facto national team for the tournament. They finished last in the eight-team field.
Lams Lamina will be the lone holdover from last year’s Philippine team entering the 2025 edition of the tourney.
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