Volleyball fans get their first glimpse of lovely foreign belles playing as imports to the six teams in the women’s division of the 2014 Philippine Superliga Grand Prix presented by Asics when they are introduced to the public today at Araneta Coliseum.
Heading the new Superliga stunners is Alaina Bergsma, the Ms Oregon 2012 and former Ms USA finalist, who is touted to become a crowd drawer for the Petron Blaze Spikers.
Bergsma’s charms have been likened to that of Brazilian Leila Barros who had played before big crowds in the Philippines and had contributed to the reemergence of volleyball as a choice sport among women 10 years ago.
Not just a pretty face, Bergsma was former skipper of the University of Oregon volleyball team and former All-American in the NCAA.
She will play with another Brazilian, Erica Adachi, for the Petron Blaze Spikers, whose never-say-die attitude on the court has made them one of the league’s crowd favorites.
New teams Mane and Tail Lady Stallions and the Foton Tornadoes will also be introduced with other squads Cignal, RC Cola and Generika by the country’s pioneering club league sanctioned by the Asian Volleyball Confederation and Philippine Volleyball Federation and recognized by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB).
A new team in the men’s division, the Cavite Patriots, will also be presented along with PLDT-Air Force, Cignal and Maybank.
Superliga opens hostilities on Saturday at Araneta Coliseum. It is organized by SportsCore with Mikasa, Mueller Sports Medicine, Healthway Medical, Jinling Sports and LGR as technical partners.
Tickets are available at Ticketnet (www.ticketnet.com.ph) at P100 and P200. Games will be telecast by Solar Sports, official TV partner of Superliga.
Cignal and RC Cola will clash in the first game at 2 p.m. on Saturday while Generika and Petron rumble at 4 p.m. The opening rites to be presided by Superliga president Ramon ‘Tats’ Suzara start at 1 p.m.