Coach Dante Alinsunurin. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — Newly-appointed Choco Mucho coach Dante Alinsunurin wants to share all his learnings from men’s volleyball to the Premier Volleyball League, believing his system a fit for the Flying Titans, who remain in search for a podium finish since joining the league.
A day after Inquirer Sports broke the news, Choco Mucho on Friday morning officially welcomed Alinsunurin as its new head coach ahead of the 2023 PVL season, which begins with the Open Conference on February 4.
Alinsunurin is ready to take his act to the professional women’s league after winning four championships for National University in the UAAP men’s volleyball tournament and the most recent Spikers’ Turf tournament last year and steering the Philippine team to a historic Southeast Asian Games silver medal in 2019.
“I think it’s about time for me to apply and share my system with a women’s team,” Alinsunurin told Inquirer Sports in Filipino.
“I decided to join the Choco Mucho team because I believe that my system is applicable to them since they have the height and skills. We just need a little bit of polishing,” he added.
FILE – Choco Mucho Flying Titans in the Reinforced Conference. –PVL PHOTO
Alinsunurin, who also led the Bulldogs to a gold medal in the 2018 Asean University Games in Myanmar before settling for silver in the 2022 edition Thailand, is inheriting a Choco Mucho squad bannered by Kat Tolentino, Deanna Wong, Desiree Cheng, Isa Molde, Bea De Leon, Maddie Madayag, and libero Denden Lazaro-Revilla.
The Flying Titans have yet to get over the hump as they made back-to-back semifinal appearances in the 2021 PVL bubble and last season’s Open Conference but missed the post-elimination of the Invitationals and Reinforced Conference.
In the season-ending conference of last year’s PVL, Oliver Almadro resigned in the middle of the tournament to focus on Ateneo women’s volleyball team’s program. Edjet Mabbayad served as interim but the team finished seventh with a 3-5 record.
Amid high expectations coaching a crowd-favorite team, Alinsunurin said he will keep his coaching style in trying to take the Flying Titans to greater heights with a modest goal of reaching the podium.
“I want to bring their game to the next level. We also need to focus on their body conditioning to avoid injuries,” said the new Choco Mucho coach.
“My coaching style will be the same. There will be some adjustments because the women’s [division] has a different style of play,” he added.
Alinsunurin also assured that he will handle all his teams with proper time management as he juggles his duties as a PVL coach, as NU tactician with the UAAP Season 85 men’s volleyball also opening in February, and as the Philippine team mentor with the 32nd Southeast Asian Games set in May in Cambodia.