PSL’s Foton Tornadoes. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/NQUIRER.net
FOTON-Pilipinas is eyeing to surpass previous national teams’ performances and make the semifinals when the Asian Volleyball Confederation Asian Women’s Club Championship is held on Sept. 3 to 11 at Alonte Sports Center in Biñan City.
Team manager Alvin Lu said the Tornadoes, who will be fortified by Americans Lindsay Stalzer and Ariel Usher and Philippine Superliga stars, are in the thick of preparation for the meet that features the region’s best clubs.
“We want to have a strong finish, but at the same time we’re also tempering our expectations,” said Lu, who was at the sidelines when Foton clinched the PSL Grand Prix title last year. “We have a strong and fighting team. Making it to the semis is our ultimate goal.”
The Philippines’ best finish in the import-laden meet was seventh place when Petron represented the country last year.
Reinforcements Aby Marano of F2 Logistics, Jen Reyes of Petron and Rachel Anne Daquis and Jovelyn Gonzaga of RC Cola-Army have been working on their chemistry with the rest of Foton players.
The Tornadoes included in the pool mainstays Foto Jaja Santiago, Angeli Araneta, Patty Orendain, Maika Ortiz, Ivy Perez, Rhea Dimaculangan Bia General, Kara Acevedo, EJ Laure, Cherry Rondina and Carol Cerveza. Villet Ponce-de Leon will be the head coach with former national team skipper Ian Fernandez as assistant.
Foton Pilipinas landed in Group A with Vietnam’s Lien Viet Post Bank and the Hong Kong national team. Also entered are reigning champion Bangkok Glass, Taiwan Power of Chinese Taipei, Jakarta Electric PLN of Indonesia, April 25 of North Korea, Zhetysu Almaty of Kazakhstan, Sarmayeh Bank of Iran and another team from Malaysia.