BRAZIL. – Preparing for its next assignment, the Philippine women’s volleyball intensified its practice sessions on Saturday by giving importance to defense and tactics that could serve the country well in the coming 31st Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi, Vietnam.
The national spikers will play another tune-up game on Tuesday against a top-caliber Brazilian club that coach Jorge Edson Souza de Brito has yet to name, the second of at least five high-level matches on tap intended to whip the team up in superior shape in time for the Games less than a month from now.
“We always add something new each time we go into practice. I can see the improvement day by day, so when we play the next match, we’ll become better,” De Brito said after concluding a pair of workouts on Day 3 of the team’s two-week training camp at Sportville here.
Middle blockers Jaja Santiago and Dell Palomata were bunched with open spikers Alyssa Valdez and Ces Molina, opposite spiker Mylene Paat, setter Iris Tolenada and libero Dawn Macandili, who all worked on the defensive pattern instilled by the coaching staff.
