The non-inclusion of Philippine indoor volleyball mainstays Alyssa Valdez and Jia Morado in the national team has continued to invoke disagreement until now.
Women’s national team consultant Jorge Souza de Brito then bared what he needed in the squad, Tuesday morning on the Philippines Sportswriters Association Forum.
“I needed some fresh players, younger and taller,” said the Brazilian coach in the session powered by Smart and Upstream Media as its official webcast partner.
Volleyball fans have long touted Valdez, 28, and Morado, 26, as part of the core of the Philippine team. Hence the long, ongoing debate regarding their non-inclusion in the pool.
Both Valdez and Morado are part of the All-Premier team in the 2021 PVL Open Conference.
PVL Open Conference Best Libero Kath Arado, who 23 years young, also did not receive a call-up.
However, Souza de Brito believed that what they have in their 24-woman pool are the best players in the field. They will then split the two squads – Rebisco and Choco Mucho – to play in the 2021 AVC Women’s Club Championship.
“For this time, I think we have here (in the team) all the best,” he continued in the session presented by San Miguel Corporation (SMC), MILO, Amelie Hotel, Braska Restaurant, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR).
Souza de Brito feels confident with the pool they ended up with, since the coaches had decided on this selection.
And for the national team consultant and the coaches, all they do is in the country’s best interests on the international platform.
“We, all coaches, are always trying for the best of the national volleyball team. We’ve taken the best decision as of now.”
Meanwhile, head coach Odjie Mamon reiterated that the 5-foot-7 Morado and 5-foot-9 Valdez weren’t able to make the tryouts due to their bubble training with Creamline coinciding with the scheduled tryouts. In the end, the federation still added Kalei Mau, Dawn Macandili, Kim Dy, Tin Tiamzon, MJ Phillips, Dindin Santiago-Manabat, Rhea Dimaculangan, Jema Galanza, Deanna Wong, and Kat Tolentino to the pool.
