After eight years, the Philippines will compete in the Asian Girls’ U17 Volleyball Championship.
Tasked to guide the youth team in the tournament set on June in Tashkent, Uzbekistan is College of Saint Benilde head coach Jerry Yee.
Composing the 14-woman pool are student-athletes from Bacolod and Iloilo.
“Because we are still in COVID-19 pandemic, we opted to select players who are closer to us here in Region 6,” team manager Jose Montalbo told Panay News.
“One of the positive things about this is most of them were already familiar with each other so adjustments and jelling will not be that much of a problem.”
The core of the team will be from Bacolod Tay Tung, namely Kimberly Rubin, Dona Mae De Leon, Lana Madrigal, Jothea Ramos, Joenil Ramos, Caitlin Espinosa, Rhose Almendralejo, KC delos Reyes, and Ana Francesca Hermosura.
Also tapped were Celine Marsh of Trinity Christian School, Rain Navarro of St. John’s Institute-Bacolod, Camila Bartolome of Huasiong College of Iloilo, Zacchea Maganto from Central Philippine University, and Mary Karylle Suplico of La Paz National High School.
The last time the Philippines competed in the continental meet was back in 2014, finishing in seventh place.
The team was also coached by Jerry Yee and had the likes of Eya Laure, Isa Molde, Faith Nisperos, Jasmine Nabor, and Roselyn Rosier.
The Philippines finished in eighth place in the 1997, 1999, 2003, 2005, and 2008 editions of the tournament.
