SANTA ROSA — Three years since she last officially represented the country, Alyssa Valdez has been named to the Alas Pilipinas Women pool for the upcoming 2026 AVC Women’s Volleyball Cup in Candon City.
Valdez headlines several new invitees to the national team as the revamped squad begins its buildup, with most — if not all — of the players who competed in the recent Southeast Asian Games opting to beg off from the tournament.
Philippine National Volleyball Federation president Anthony “Tony Boy” Liao said Valdez’s inclusion is expected to provide both leadership and inspiration to a younger group eager to learn from one of the country’s most decorated players.
“Si Alyssa will always be Alyssa. Her love for volleyball has always been there, whether she is playing for her university, club team, or country. She is so happy that she now gets to play with young players who have long looked up to her,” said Liao.
With this, the three-time PVL MVP has the chance to return to the national team for the first time since the 32nd Southeast Asian Games, where she captained the squad to a fourth-place finish in 2023. She will also get to reunite with her former Ateneo and Creamline head coach, Tai Bundit.
That reunion, however, will have to wait. The Thai mentor continues to recover from a serious ankle injury that will force him to miss the AVC Women’s Volleyball Cup scheduled from June 6 to 14.
Assistant coach Shaq Delos Santo takes over for Bundit, and he also coached Valdez during the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.
Aside from Valdez, also included in the pool are Ces Molina and Trisha Tubu of Farm Fresh, Jaz Ellarina, Tin Ubaldo, and Cla Loresco of FEU, Niña Ytang of UP, Lhoriz Tuddao of Adamson, and Lara Mae Silva and Natalie Estreller of Letran.
According to a highly placed source, Myla Pablo and Jules Tolentino are still awaiting clearance from Nxled. Meanwhile, Kyla Atienza of Creamline, Erika Santos of Capital1, and Jovelyn Gonzaga of ZUS Coffee have also been called up.
