FILE–La Salle Green Spikers’ coach Jose Roque.
MANILA, Philippines — La Salle takes its UAAP preparation to the next level with its upcoming Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference which kicks off on October 16 at Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.
Despite getting dethroned by Far Eastern University in the V-League Men’s Collegiate Challenge, the Green Spikers have qualified with the Tamaraws to face the eight top men’s club teams in the country.
“Since this tournament is on another level, maybe our goal is to focus on team chemistry and make sure there’s no doubt between us,” said La Salle coach Jose Roque. “Skills and techniques are there, but the character of each individual is somehow weak considering my team is young, expecting also that they learned from the V-League.”
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With Roque looking to build the chemistry of La Salle’s revamped roster, Noel Kampton is eager to bring his younger teammates together by sharing his experience with Alas Pilipinas.
“I will bring my maturity on the court to Spikers’ Turf. I will guide them and share my experiences, especially from our training camp, the SEA V-League, and when we played against the Japanese teams,” said Kampton.
“That exposure was really valuable to me. The training with the national team is very different from college because the coaches there are on a high level.”
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Kampton, who played in the SEA V.League, has been gaining fruitful experience from Italian coach Angiolino Frigoni, who brought the team to intensive international training camps in Japan and Italy in preparation for next year’s FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Championship.
Kampton will be leading the Green Spikers bannered by Vince Maglinao, Eco Adajar, Chris Hernandez, Nat Del Pilar, and Menard Guerrero.
La Salle will be facing Open Conference finalists Cignal and Criss Cross as well as league mainstays D’Navigators Iloilo, PGJC Navy Sealions, Savouge Aesthetics Spin Doctors, VNS Griffins, Chichi DHTSI Titans, and Martelli Meats Masters Butcher.
The Green Archers kick off their Spikers’ Turf stint with a V-League finals rematch against the Tamaraws on October 18 at Ynares Sports Arena.
The tournament format will feature a round-robin preliminary phase, with the top four teams advancing to the semifinals. The Final Four will be joined by a guest team for another round-robin phase, with the top two teams squaring off in a winner-take-all championship match.