Valdez leads PH volleybelles vs Iran

The Philippine team, led by volleyball’s poster girl Alyssa Valdez, takes on dangerous Iran in the first Asian U23 women’s volleyball championship starting Friday at Philsports Arena in Pasig City.

Valdez didn’t want to speculate about the chances of the Filipinos in their 4 p.m. opening match against the Iranians because she said it would only put “undue pressure” on them.

“We are all first-timers here, we just want to experience it. We have prepared hard despite the short period of time,” said the 21-year-old Valdez during yesterday’s press conference at Crowne Plaza Hotel.

PH coach Roger Gorayeb said the Philippines has “already won” just by managing to come back into international stage following years of domestic turmoil. He’s optimistic of making the Final 8, but getting to the Final Four will be very hard.

Kazakhstan is the third team in the PH bracket dubbed as “Group of Death” where a win guarantees a squad passage to the next round.

“But it’s difficult because it’s like we’re facing teams with 12 Dindin Santiagos,” joked Gorayeb, referring to the height advantage of the opposition.