The Philippines will test its sharpness against a lowly Hong Kong side on Wednesday in the hope of scoring an important victory in the Asian Seniors Women’s Volleyball Championships in Biñan City, Laguna.
A victory by the all-star national team, led by fan favorites Alyssa Valdez, Jaja Santiago and Mika Reyes, would already ensure the country a spot in the quarterfinals of the 14-nation meet.
It will also automatically qualify the Philippines for the first time in the Asian Volleyball Cup for women in Thailand next year.
“This is a very important tournament for us and the Hong Kong game is the most important match,” said national head coach Francis Vicente, who led the national team in a 17-day training camp in Japan.
The country, carried by Foton Pilipinas of the Philippine Superliga, demolished Hong Kong (25-20, 25-14, 25-14) during the Asian Club Championships last year—a game where the Philippines sparingly used imports.