THE national women’s volleyball team takes its turn to train overseas in preparation for the 31st Southeast Asian Games that kick off next month in Hanoi where a podium finish is a modest goal.
And way to go for the nationals—they’re flying to Brazil, one of the world’s hotbed of volleyball—under the meticulous watch of former Brazilian national player and now a sought-after coach, Jorge Edson Souza de Brito.
“We’re planning to play five or six tune-up games against top Brazilian clubs from SuperLiga A and under-21 teams,” said de Brito during the team’s send off on Monday in a restaurant in Mandaluyong City. “It’s going to be a very busy and different training camp.”
The team will fly to Sao Paulo on Tuesday night and from there, they will go on a half-hour land trip to the training camp in Barueri. The camp will last for two weeks.
This marks the first time that a national team is training in Brazil, a country which owns Olympic and world titles as much as it does in football. The national men’s team only recently concluded its own foreign training, also lasting two weeks, in Doha, Qatar.
The 14-member team is composed of open spikers Alyssa Valdez, Jema Galanza and Ces Molina, opposite spikers Kat Tolentino and Mylene Paat; setters Kyle Negrito, Deanna Wong and Iris Tolenada; middle blockers Ria Meneses, Majoy Baron, Dell Palomata and Aby Maraño; and liberos Dawn Macandili and Kath Arado.
Middle blocker Jaja Santiago will fly from Japan to Brazil.
Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVFI) Secretary General Don Caringal represented PNVF President Ramon “Tats” Suzara during the send off, along with PNVF Executive Board member and National Team chair Tony Boy Liao, team manager Fe Moran.
Also with the team are head coach Odjie Mamon and Grace Antigua, trainers Raffy Mosuela and George Pascua and physical therapist Grace Gomez.