Tryouts for national volleyball team set

Photo from asianvolleyball.net

The preparations for two international tournaments this year begin with an open tryout to form the women’s national volleyball team on April 13 at Arellano University.

Incumbent national team members Jaja Santiago, Alyssa Valdez, Dawn Macandili, Mika Reyes, Kim Fajardo, and Kianna Dy are all expected to take part in the tryouts that will be conducted at Arellano’s Legarda campus.

Also expected to join the tryouts are veteran members Aiza Maizo-Pontillas, Rhea Dimaculangan, and Maika Ortiz along with Dindin Santiago-Manabat, Myla Pablo, Kath Arado, and MJ Philips.

The team will also announce the replacement for Francis Vicente as head coach, who will be in charge of leading the national team in the Asian Games in August and the Asian Cup in September.

“We will come up with a formal announcement our new head coach any time soon,” said Peter Cayco, Larong Volleyball ng Pilipinas Incorporated vice president, who said new head coach already has a “wish list” of players.

Cayco, though, added that the team is still open for those who are willing to join.

“Although we will send formal invites to those in the coach’s wish list, we will still welcome players who want to be part of the team,” said Cayco. “We want to make sure that everybody will be given a chance so that we can assemble the country’s best volleyball team.”

Richard Gomez, the Philippines’ Asian Games chief of mission, is positive of what the national team is capable of doing in the Asian level.

“We’re strongly considering their inclusion in the Asian Games,” said Gomez, who was part of the men’s volleyball team that played in the AVC Asian Men’s Club Championship in 2014.