Philippine women’s volleyball team at the SEA Games in Singapore. Photo by Raffy Lerma
Alyssa Valdez, Aby Maraño, and Jovelyn Gonzaga have all represented the Philippines in several international tournaments, and all three know they have the experience that they can share with their potential teammates.
The trio is part of the new 25-woman national team pool the Larong Volleyball ng Pilipinas formed to compete in future international matches.
Valdez represented the Philippines in the AVC Asian Under-23 tournament and in the Southeast Asian Games while Maraño and Gonzaga also wore the tricolor in the 2016 SEA Games and were part of the Foton franchise that represented the country in the AVC Asian Women’s Club Volleyball Championship.
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Of the three, only Gonzaga was able to don the Philippine flag on her chest when she played in the FIVB Women’s Club World Championship.
“I can bring the leadership and experience because the LVPI has given me so much,” said Gonzaga, who captained the Philippines in the last SEA Games. “I learned so much during the world championships and I know that in volleyball, you should never stop learning.”
“The FIVB tournament also taught me that I’m still not at par with the rest of the competition so that motivated me to become better,” added Gonzaga.
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Valdez, who now plays in the Thai League as an import for 3BB Nakornnont, said her time in Thailand helped her not only as a volleyball player but also as a person.
“The experience itself gave me a lot of learning as a volleyball player and as a person,” said Valdez. “Hopefully I would be able to bring it and share it to the pool.”
Maraño, despite just being 24-years-old, has always shown veteran’s savvy and she said she’d bring the knowledge she got in her past tournaments to the pool.
“I’ll carry with me the experience I had and all the knowledge I gained from playing in international leagues before,” said Maraño. “And I think this is will help me to become a more mature national team athlete.”