By NIKOLE JAVIER
The Philippines is seeking to improve on its fourth-place medal tally finish last year in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games, with the men’s and women’s volleyball teams out to help its cause.
In the women’s indoors, the Philippines composed of mostly Creamline players and captained by Alyssa Valdez, was drawn in Pool B alongside Cambodia, Singapore and 2021 silver medalist Vietnam.
Reigning and 16-time champion Thailand and bronze medalist Indonesia, meanwhile, were grouped in Pool A with Myanmar and Malaysia.
With an intact core including a total of seven Cool Smashers who won the 2023 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference, the Filipinos have fair chance of advancing to the next round after avoiding some of the powerhouse teams in the group stage.
After holding week-long team practices here at home, the squad flew to Japan for a15-day training camp, where it produced a couple of good results from some of its tuneup games.
The Philippines is seeking to snap an 18-year medal drought in women’s volleyball after finishing third in the 2005 edition of the country’s hosting.
After settling some issues regarding its absence in the first draw following a “clerical error” on the part of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), the men’s team was eventually slotted in Group A after the re-draw alongside Singapore and last year’s gold and bronze medalists Indonesia and Cambodia, respectively.
Group B is composed of Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar and silver medalist Vietnam, which fortunately all agreed along with the three other countries to hold the re-draw two weeks later.
The Nationals remained focused and went ahead to Japan to hold its own 15-day training camp while the Cambodia SEA Games organizing committee (CAMSOC) dealt with the issue accordingly.
Veteran setter Vince Mangulabnan was named captain of the team, and will join forces with Spikers’ Turf Most Valuable Player Joshua Umandal to lead the team to a podium finish.
The SEA Games marks the debuts of Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) recruits in Fil-Am players Steven Rotter, Michael Vicente and Cyrus de Guzman.
In January, Dante Alinsunurin confirmed that he will no longer be calling the shots for the squad.
It was later revealed that the PNVF sought the services of Brazilian coach Sergio Valadares Veloso.
The men’s team is coming off a disappointing fifth place finish in the 2021 edition and failing to eclipse its historic silver finish in 2019.
In another play, the men’s and women’s beach volleyball squads are eyeing to surpass their respective bronze medal finishes in the Vietnam edition.
The teams headed to Brazil for their training camps and will be coached by Joao Luciano Simao Barbosa.
Jovelyn Gonzaga and Sisi Rondina, who were crowned Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Futures champions in Subic in December, will be teaming up with Bernadette Pons and Dij Rodriguez.
The men’s team, for its part, will be spearheaded by the returning Ran Abdilla, Jaron Requinton and Jude Garcia with James Buytrago completing the team.
