Army looks to build experience in Spikers’ Turf ahead of possible regional team

FILE– Army Katinko Troopers in the Spikers’ Turf men’s volleyball tournament. –PVL PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—The Army-Katinko Troopers were invited by ASEAN countries to compete in a volleyball invitational happening in Vietnam in October.

The Troopers open spiker Ken Baloaloa confirmed that Army volleyball teams from ASEAN countries are currently working on a regional tournament.

“We were invited by ASEAN to build a [volleyball] league that consists of these countries’ Army [teams],” he said in a PSA forum on Tuesday.

But the up first for the Army-Katinko team is to finish with a better record in the upcoming Spikers’ Turf, where the Troopers were able to retain “best players from last year.”

Mentored by coach Melvin Carolino in last year’s Open Conference, they finished dead last at the seventh seed with a 1-5 record.

National U-Sta. Elena went on to win the Open crown after sweeping the Cignal HD Spikers in two games.

“We look forward to learning more from these veteran teams in the Spikers’ Turf,” Baloaloa said.

In the upcoming tourney, however, the Troopers face a tougher battle as the league expanded to 11 teams with four new additions.

While the championship may be a goal for Baloaloa and the Troopers, gaining experience will also go a long way for them especially when they face their regional counterparts.

“These [games] can serve as preparation. Hopefully, all goes well in October so we need to push for experiences in these games,” said Baloaloa in Filipino.