AFTER encountering the best clubs in Asia, the Philippines is now up against the best in the world.
The Philippine Superliga All-Star team, made up of seven of the league’s top players and seven foreign reinforcements, will have even taller odds stacked against it in the FIVB Women’s Club World Championship on Oct. 18 to 23 at Mall of Asia Arena.
Powerhouse club Eczacibasi VitrA Istanbul of Turkey will be seeing action to defend the crown it won last year in Zurich, Switzerland.
Rio Olympics silver medalist Tijana Boskovic of Serbia, Thaisa Menezes of Brazil, Rachel Adams and Jordan Larson-Burbach of the United States, Titiana Kosheleva of Russia and setter Maja Ognjenovic will man the Eczacibasi VitrA frontline.
Also expected to flex their muscles in the tourney are Rexona SESSC Rio of Brazil, Bangkok Glass of Thailand, Hisamitsu Springs of Japan, Volero Zurich of Switzerland, Pomi Casalmaggiore of Italy and another Turkish superpower VakifBank Istanbul.
Leading VakifBank are Rio Olympics Most Valuable Player Zhu Ting of China, opposite spiker Lonneke Sloetjes of Netherlands and open hitter Kimberly Hill of the United States.
Eleven-time Brazilian Superliga champion Rexona SESSC Rio will parade Anne Bujis of Netherlands, the 6-foot-3 open spiker who led her country to the bronze medal in the World Grand Prix in Bangkok last July.
It will also have Brazilian stars Gabi Guimaraes and Juicely Silva along with two-time Olympic gold medalist Fabi Oliveira.
Powered by Pleumjit Thinkaow, Bangkok Glass is also one of the favorites.