Bronze-winning Alas team to stay largely intact

THE PHILIPPINE National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) said it will keep the Alas Pilipinas team largely intact after it claimed a historic AVC Challenge Cup bronze medal, while adding a few more players to the mix to sustain the squad’s growth.

“The intention is to keep this team intact with additional athletes from the college ranks,” said PNVF president Ramon “Tats” Suzara the day after the Filipinas routed Australia at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum to claim the country’s first podium finish in any Asian-level tournament. “It’s a breakthrough, it’s historic, and the obvious next step is to keep this team intact and make it stronger and much more competitive,” he added.

Mr. Suzara said the federation is planning to insert collegiate stars Bella Belen, Alyssa Solomon and Casiey Dongallo to the pool to further reinforce an already promising roster headed by AVC Challenge Cup best setter Jia de Guzman and best outside spiker Angel Canino. There is also a plan to extend Brazilian coach Jorge Souza de Brito, whose contract expires next month.

Mr. De Brito has yet to decide if he will sign on for a new term.

If all these fall into place, Mr. Suzara said there’s a strong chance the country can compete for a medal in next year’s Southeast Asian Games in Thailand.

“Next year, in the SEA Games, I believe we’ll have a fighting chance,” he said. — Joey Villar