Two-time Shakey’s V-League MVP Jang Bualee, who last played in the country for BaliPure in the 2017 Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference, returned to Philippine soil with praise for the sport’s rapid development — this time, in a new role as a mentor for Nakhon Ratchasima in the 2025 AVC Women’s Champions League.
A Philippine volleyball icon in her own right, Bualee earned multiple Best Opposite Spiker and Best Scorer awards under coach Roger Gorayeb during her time with San Sebastian in the Shakey’s V-League. Having witnessed the sport’s growth over the past two decades, her return was both nostalgic and eye-opening.
“When they asked me to come to join for the club, I was so excited when they said the Philippines would host the tournament. Of course, this made me come back home.
“So many people here in the Philippines are so kind and they say hi to me. For a long time, I [was] not here, but they still remembered me, I am so happy, and thank you for that,” said Bualee after Nakhon Ratchasima swept Australia’s Queensland to secure a quarterfinal berth in the continental tournament.
From the Philippines’ dry spell in SEA Games medals between 2006 and 2017, to finally earning a spot in the Asian Games in 2018 — their first since 1982 — the country’s women’s volleyball program has come a long way. And Bualee has taken notice.
After back-to-back bronze medals in the 2024 SEA V.League, the country finally reached a historic milestone when the newly-formed Alas Pilipinas clinched third place in the 2024 AVC Women’s Challenge Cup — the nation’s first-ever podium finish in an AVC tournament.
“When I thought of the growth of Philippine volleyball, compared to when I came and now, they are now very different. They are now very popular, the players are very more strong,” she said.
“Like I know. I only watch the game and the Philippine national team. But now, everything is so perfect. With the teams supporting and the players are well.”
Apart from relishing the sport’s growth, Bualee also made sure to reconnect with longtime friends, including Alyssa Valdez. The two shared the court during the Blue Eagles’ Shakey’s V-League campaign in 2015 and 2016, and were rivals during Bualee’s own stint in the league with San Sebastian from 2005 to 2012.
“When I saw her at the hotel, they said ‘Oh, Ate you are here! Are you playing?’ I said no, it’s too much for me and I am too old for that. But first, like the team, they asked me to play, but if I practice with them, maybe I can. But I have been working and I have no time for that. That’s why I focus to be better as a coach. With them in Alyssa, yeah they still remember me,” said Bualee, who also played for Lyceum of the Philippines University.
Adding to her pride in returning to the Philippines is the recent triumph of Petro Gazz in the 2024–25 PVL All-Filipino Conference, where the Angels won their first All-Filipino title.
That victory was especially meaningful for Bualee, as it was powered by familiar faces from her volleyball journey in the Philippines — veteran opposite spiker Aiza Maizo-Pontillas, 40-year-old setter Chie Saet, and assistant coach Cha Cruz-Behag.
“I saw her, I said how strong her team is strong in Petro Gazz. I have been praying for a long time [for their success] and I am so happy that I saw her again here in the Philippines, and they’re still playing.”
#WATCH: Former PVL import turned Nakhon Ratchasima deputy Jang Bualee is all smiles as she returns to the Philippines 🏐
📹 @jonashdcd /Tiebreaker Times#AVCChampionsLeague pic.twitter.com/bQPQkeqLNm
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) April 21, 2025
