THREE Philippine teams will carry the colors of Rebisco and Choco Mucho when they fly the flag in the 2021 AVC Asian Women’s Club Volleyball Championship on October 1 to 7 in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.
Longtime women’s volleyball team captain Aby Maraño will lead out the Rebisco team that will also have national team mainstays Eya Laure, Rhea Dumaculangan and Dindin Santiago-Manabat.
Brazilian coach Jorge Edson Souza de Brito will call the shots for Team Rebisco that also has Jema Galanza and newcomers Faith Nisperos, Mhicaela Belen, Imee Hernandez, Ivy Lacsina, Kamille Cal, Jennifer Nierva and Bernadette Pepito.
Kalei Mau, MJ Phillips and Kat Tolentino will banner Team Choco Mucho, which will be coached by Odjie Mamon.
Iris Tolenada will be the skipper of Choco Mucho where she will be joined by Deanna Wong, Dell Palomata, and Tin Tiamzon as well as veterans Majoy Baron, Mylene Paat, Kianna Dy, Ria Meneses and Dawn Macandili.
The Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) also bared the final 14 line-up of the men’s team to the Asian Men’s Club Championship from October 8 to 15, also in Thailand.
John Vic de Guzman, Jessie Lopez, Rex Intal, Mark Alfafara, Kim Malabunga, Ish Polvorosa, Francis Saura, Josh Retamar, Jao Umandal and Ricky Marcos are back to fly the flag after winning silver at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games in Manila.
National coach Dante Alinsunurin also included newcomers Ysay Marasigan, Nico Almendras, Manuel Sumanguid, and JP Bugaoan in the final roster of Team Rebisco.
Star pair miss out
Missing the final cut were 2019 SEA Games team libero Jack Kalingking, Lloyd Josafat Joeven Dela Vega and Kim Dayandate. Stars Bryan Bagunas and Marck Espejo will miss the tournament due to their Japan V. League commitment.
The three teams were unanimously approved by the PNVF board during its sixth virtual board meeting on Tuesday afternoon.
“With these club championships, we are putting in harness the national team program aimed at three major international competitions in 2022,” said PNVF president Ramon “Tats” Suzara. “These are the Asian Games in Huangzhou, Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam and the Asian Senior Women’s Championship that we are hosting in May next year.”
Suzara, National Team Commission chairman Tonyboy Liao, PNVF secretary general Don Caringal and deputy secretary general for international affairs Ricky Palou have been monitoring the teams’ semi-bubble training at the Aquamarine Gym in Lipa City.
The women’s teams are leaving for Nakhon Ratchasima, host of the 2007 SEA Games, on September 27, while the men’s team will leave for Thailand on October 4.
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