Five players have withdrawn from Alas Pilipinas duties for the 2026 AVC Women’s Nations Cup, even as their status for the rest of the national team window remains undecided.
Free agents Erika Santos and Vanie Gandler, PLDT’s Alleiah Malaluan and Kianna Dy, and Adamson University’s Shaina Nitura will miss the continental tournament, Philippine National Volleyball Federation president Tony Boy Liao confirmed on Tuesday.
Liao clarified that the five have only begged off from the AVC Women’s Cup and have yet to decline their invitations for the succeeding legs of the program, including the training camp in Chinese Taipei and the SEA V.League.
Their absence trims the Alas Pilipinas pool to 22 players, though PNVF executive director Iby Bautista said a second round of invitations will be sent out to complete the roster for the AVC meet.
Despite the temporary lineup changes, Alas Pilipinas will proceed with its buildup under new head coach Tai Bundit.
The team opens training on May 8, beginning its preparations for the AVC Women’s Volleyball Cup set from June 6 to 14 in Candon.
The national squad will train until May 23 before shifting to Candon for the final phase of preparations from May 24 to June 5, where Bundit is expected to fine-tune the team’s system ahead of the tournament.
After the AVC campaign, Alas Pilipinas will take a brief four-day break before resuming training from June 18 to July 9.
The national team is then scheduled to head to Chinese Taipei from July 11 to 21 for a 10-day camp as part of its buildup for the SEA V.League, where the five players have yet to confirm their participation.
