INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines?Cebu powerhouse Southwestern University has tapped a Thailand national team standout to shore up its maiden campaign in Season 7 of the Shakey?s V-League.

Spiker Piyatada Lasungnern, who saw action in the World Youth Volleyball Championships, will team up with Visayan power-hitters Danika Yolanda Gendrauli and Rafril Aguilar in a move that instantly made Southwestern a title contender.

?I believe we now have the materials to mix it up with the [Manila-based] teams,? said SWU athletic director Ryan Aznar.

Southwestern, the reigning Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. champion, debuts with Cebu?s University of San Jose-Recoletos and Bacolod?s University of St. La Salle when the league fires off on April 11 at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan City.

?The team?s strength is on floor defense and service,? said Aznar. ?And having a guest player and a Thai import will be a big boost in our offense too.?

University of Santo Tomas remains the heavy favorite after sweeping last year?s two-conference season.

Other top contenders include perennial NCAA champion San Sebastian College and UAAP stalwarts Far Eastern University and Adamson University.

Ateneo de Manila University, College of St. Benilde and Lyceum of the Philippines University round out the 10-team field, which will be divided into two groups in the single-round eliminations.

Only the top four squads from each group will advance to the quarterfinals.

Games of the tournament organized by Sports Vision and backed by Shakey?s, Accel, Mikasa and NBN 4 will be played every Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday starting at 2 p.m.