PHILIPPINE National Volleyball Federation President Ramon “Tats” Suzara has one wish that he hopes will become a reality in the future — see the country play in the Volleyball Nations League, a world-class event featuring the top 16 teams in the world in the men’s and women’s divisions.
“The VNL is only for the top 16 teams in the world,” Suzara said yesterday in a press conference at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. “We are not there (yet), but I hope someday we will be there, and we will be a world-class team like Thailand.”
The country is hosting Week 2 of the VNL women’s leg on June 14-19 and Week 2 of the men’s leg on June 21-26 at the Big Dome.
The women’s team of Thailand and Japan arrived yesterday.
The national men’s and women’s teams that saw action in the Vietnam Southeast Asian Games will play in exhibition matches dubbed as the “PNVF International Challenge” in the build-up to the tournament proper.
The women’s squad, led by Alyssa Valdez, Jaja Santiago, and Aby Marano, faces Thailand this Saturday and Japan on Sunday. The team’s team led by Bryan Bagunas and Marck Espejo will take on Japan on June 16 and Germany on June 27. — Abby Toralba
