JOVELYN Gonzaga leads a growing list of key absentees for the Army Lady Troopers in the upcoming Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference, which begins in two weeks' time.
The Bionic Ilongga will shift her focus to her buildup for the 32nd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Cambodia this May, where she is set to represent the country in the beach volleyball competition.
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Gonzaga's SEA Games medal bid gained steam after winning an all-Filipino final as a last-minute entrant with Sisi Rondina in the Subic leg of the 2022 Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Futures.
Gonzaga is the latest withdrawal for the Lady Troopers, who will also be without injured veterans Mary Jean Balse-Pabayo, Joanne Bunag, and Jem Gutierrez.
Libero Gelai Nunag will leadArmy's redemption bid after finishing rock bottom in last year's Reinforced Conference, with former Army assistant Randy Fellorina taking over head coaching duties from Kungfu Reyes.
Fellorina, who will also lead the Army men's team in the forthcoming Spikers' Turf competition, faces a tall order with their top guns missing.