MANILA – The Alas Pilipinas women's volleyball is expected to face a strong challenge against the region's top teams in the 33rd edition of the Southeast Asian Games in Thailand this year.
Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines are all aiming for a podium finish in the biennial meet scheduled from Dec. 9-20.
The Filipino volleybelles have just returned from Hanoi where they finished second to their Vietnamese rivals in the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Nations Cup.
Brazilian coach Jorge De Brito sees the four countries vying for the SEAG title.
“For sure, those four teams, they keep the international standard very high,” De Brito said in the weekly Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) forum at the conference hall of the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex Tuesday.
De Brito was joined by Alas women’s team captain Jia De Guzman, Dell Palomata, and Philippine National Volleyball Federation President Ramon ‘Tats’ Suzara in the weekly session presented by San Miguel Corporation, Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee, MILO, Smart/PLDT, and the country’s 24/7 sports app ArenaPlus.
The SEA Games does not carry world ranking points but Suzara stressed that the Alas women's team has to perform well in the tournament.
“Of course, the main target for the Alas women's this year is the SEA Games which is not really in the calendar of the FIVB (International Volleyball Federation). We’re working hard and every day, we keep on improving from any learning experience in every competition,” said Suzara, who also serves as AVC president.
The national women's team, which last won the SEAG gold medal in Singapore (1993), made it to the podium in Manila (2005).
At the AVC Nations Cup, the Philippines bowed to Vietnam, 15-25, 17-25, 14- 25, in the final.
De Guzman was named Best Setter, Palomata was Best Middle Blocker, while Angel Canino earned the Best Outside Spiker honors.
De Guzman said the Philippines can also be as competitive as Vietnam and Thailand.
“We just have to stick to the program, because if we do, I have no doubt that one day, we will reach that level also. It's not because they're ahead, they can't be chased," she said.
"They recognized that the Philippines is growing, and we have to take advantage of that fact, because the fact that they are saying that, it means we're starting to become a threat,” she added. “So Thailand, Vietnam, and even Indonesia, we can catch up with them as long as we stick to what we are doing now.”
Meanwhile, De Brito underscored the need to keep together the current core of 25 players that won the silver medal in Hanoi.
“We have a core already of 25 players. And these 25 are the guys we're going to keep,” he said.
The Alas women’s team will still compete in the 2025 VTV Cup later this month in Vietnam and the Southeast Asian V. League in August in Vietnam and Thailand, respectively, before going to the SEA Games. (PNA)