PH team finishes ninth in Asian Women's U18 Volleyball Championship

by Kristel Satumbaga-Villar, Manila Bulletin

Team Philippines dominated India, 25-21, 25-19, 25-12, to finish ninth place in the 14th Asian Women’s U18 Volleyball Championship at the Nakhon Pathom Sports Centre Gymnasium in Thailand Monday.

Katherine Shaine Cortez, a standout from Bacolod Tay Tung High School, distributed the ball well with 26 excellent sets to be hailed as Player of the Game.

Rhose Viane Almendralejo bannered the PH team’s attacks with 16 points, while Dona Mae De Leon and Ana Francesa Hermosura chipped in 12 and nine points, respectively.

It was a revenge of sorts for the Jerry Ye-mentored squad after losing to India in the group stage, 25-14, 21-25, 23-25, 19-25, last week.

After escaping a tight opening set, the Filipina spikers dictated the tempo in the next two sets with a 20-16 advantage in the second frame and a 19-9 lead in the third.

The team is the youngest in the tournament and is composed of players from Western Visayas.

Pride and momentum up in Philippines-Indonesia Volley

By: Nelson Beltran (The Philippine Star)

JAKARTA – Alyssa Valdez said it’s a fight for pride more than anything else as SEA Games rivals the Philippines and Indonesia face off tonight in the penultimate playdate of the 18th Asian Games women’s volleyball competition group play at the GBK Tennis Indoor court here.

It’s a virtual non-bearing game since both have booked spots in the quarterfinals with no way of bumping off Thailand and Japan on top places in Pool A.

But the two teams are expected to figure in a fierce battle in their 7 p.m. (8 p.m. in Manila) match to build some momentum going to the knockout quarterfinals.

And as Valdez insists, it’s for pride.

“Even if we’re assured of the quarterfinals, we would feel good pulling off another win, especially against our longtime rival,” said Valdez.

“Our campaign here would be better if we beat Indonesia. It’s a showdown of SEA Games rivals,” said national coach Shaq delos Santos.

After all, the main purpose of Team Phl’s presence here is to size up neighbors Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam and prepare for the SEA Games in Manila next year.

The Thais, the Indonesians and the Vietnamese finished first, second and third, in that order, in the last SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur.

“They won the silver coming from another bracket. But seeing their games, I do think we have the better skills,” said Delos Santos, confident of their chance against the Indonesian team built around sisters Amansya Angraini and Aprilia Santini Mangarang.

“We’ll break down the game of the Mangarang sisters. We will work hard to stop them,” said Delos Santos.

Valdez and her teammates are in high spirits following their 25-18, 25-21, 25-22 drubbing of Hong Kong Thursday – the Philippines’ first win in Asiad volleyball in 36 years.

“We’re very happy because it’s a historic win. We sacrificed a lot of things to be here, so we might as well do our best to produce the best result we could get here,” said Valdez, among the lead guns of Team Phl here along with Santiago sisters Jaja and Dindin Manabat, Mika Reyes, Aby Maraño, Mylene Paat and Kianna Kim Dy.

Curiously, the Indonesians took four sets to top Hong Kong, 21-25, 25-13, 25-18, 25-14, last Wednesday.

After the decline of the Philippines in SEAG, Indonesia and Vietnam rose as Thailand’s toughest challengers. The Vietnamese were second placers in eight of the last SEAG while the Indonesians collected a silver and five bronze medals in the last six editions of the biennial meet.

The Philippines has never had a podium finish since salvaging a bronze in Manila in 2005.

Gohing, Gumabao to boost Creamline's 'superteam' in PVL

MANILA, Philippines – Melissa Gohing and Michele Gumabao have joined forces with Alyssa Valdez, Jia Morado and Risa Sato to form Creamline’s “super team” in the Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference tentatively set on April 1.

Gohing amicably parted ways with Pocari Sweat, a team she played for five years and helped win three PVL championships, after her contract expired at the end of last year while Gumabao will jump from a Cocolife squad that wound up a surprise fourth in the Phl Superliga Grand Prix a year back.

Interestingly, Gohing and Gumabao are former teammates at La Salle in the UAAP Pocari for four years before the latter made the jump last season.

Now they’re back playing side by side again for a different team.

Gohing and Gumabao were just two of the three blue chip acquisitions by the Cool Smashers after plucking Sato from reigning Open Conference champion Bali Pure.

The three, along with Valdez, a four-time PVL MVP, reigning best setter Morado, and seasoned Rose Vargas, Pau Soriano and Cesca Racraquin, will form a stacked Tai Bundit-mentored Creamline squad that has emerged as the early title favorites with the PVL season still a couple of months away.

The recruiting coup was part of Creamline’s plan of snaring its very first title after finishing third place twice in last year’s Reinforced and Open Conferences.

Valdez has also committed to play the whole year for Creamline after missing several games a year ago.

Valdez played as an import for 3BB in Thailand and Attackline in Chinese Taipei while also committing most of her time for the national team that participated in the Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.