THE partnership that helped redefine Philippine volleyball is coming full circle.
Alyssa Valdez and Roger Gorayeb, the iconic player-coach tandem behind Ateneo’s rise in the UAAP, are reuniting to help mold the next generation of Filipino athletes through the Alas Pilipinas Youth Camp.
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The initiative, backed by the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF), aims to bring high-level training and grassroots development programs to young and aspiring volleyball players across the country, particularly in regions beyond Metro Manila.
More than a skills camp, the project marks a return of one of the sport’s most celebrated partnerships, this time shifting their focus from lifting the Katipunan school's volleyball program to shaping future stars.
PNVF president Tony Boy Liao, who helped forge the golden Valdez-Gorayeb partnership during the Lady Eagles' (now-Blue Eagles') rise more than a decade ago, revealed that bringing the two back together for the nationwide program was an easy decision.
“I decided to talk with Alyssa Valdez, being the face of volleyball in the Philippines. Sabi ko, we will bring her to these areas at most likely, maraming sasali […] and as you all know naman, sa Filipino coaches, one of the most popular siya (Gorayeb) eh. Kilala siya ng bata, ng matanda,” he said.
“Maganda kung i-tie up natin sila ulit. Maganda para sa mga bata.”
Under the program, weekend skills camps will be staged in multiple out-of-town stops, with players and coaches from various local leagues expected to lend their expertise. PNVF board members and regional representatives have also expressed full support for the initiative.
For the Philippines
For Valdez, the nationwide expansion builds on an advocacy she has long pursued. The Creamline captain and former national team skipper already runs the Alyssa Valdez Youth Volleyball Camp, which has primarily operated in select Metro Manila locations.
Rather than run parallel programs, Valdez proposed merging efforts with the federation to extend the camp’s reach.
“They never did it in the regions. Sabi ko, that's good. I said ‘we'll use you, we’ll go to the regions.’ What she told me yesterday was, ‘Why don't we just partner?’ We’ll just call it PNVF [Youth Camp] in partnership with Alyssa [Valdez Volleyball] Youth Camp,” Liao explained.
The youth camp forms part of the PNVF’s broader vision of strengthening grassroots volleyball through regional engagement, education platforms for players and coaches, and sustained development pathways for young athletes.
For Valdez and Gorayeb, the reunion represents more than a nostalgic return, but also a chance to pass on the same discipline and passion that once transformed a collegiate program into a national phenomenon.
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