Valdez, Reyes lead PH team

Alyssa Valdez and Mika Reyes, two of the biggest names in the country’s volleyball scene, will banner the national team, whose 18-player roster was announced last Friday.

Despite missing practice sessions because of scheduling conflicts, the prolific spiker still got a unanimous approval from the six-man coaching staff led by head mentor Francis Vicente.

“She reached out to us,” said Vicente of his former ward. “I asked for her schedule and we agreed to work around it.”

Reyes was named team captain “for showing her dedication and hard work during practice and showing how willingly she wants to contribute to the team.”

“I was very impressed by how she relates with her teammates and coaches,” said Vicente. “It was a unanimous decision to make her team captain.”

Completing the squad for the Malaysia Games slated in August are Rachel Anne Daquis, Jaja Santiago, Jovelyn Gonzaga, Aby Maraño, Kim Fajardo, Denden Lazaro, Dawn Macawili, Gen Casugod, Maika Ortiz, Lourdes Clemente, Aiza Pontillas, Ces Molina, Kath Arado, Ria Meneses, Rhea Dimaculangan and Roselle Baliton.