UMALIS ang national men’s volleyball team para sa 16-day training camp sa Tokyo bilang paghahanda sa 30th Southeast Asian Games na iho-host ng bansa sa November 30-December 11.
Ayon kay head coach Dante Alinsunurin, bukod sa makukuhang exposure mula sa iba’t ibang clubs at university teams sa Japan, ang kanilang pangunahing layunin ay ang ma-develop ang kanilang pagkakaibigan at mapaghusay ang kanilang chemistry bago ang prestihiyosong biennial meet.
Hangad ng men’s squad ang matikas na pagtatapos.
Ang huling pagkakataon na sumampa ito sa podium ay nang makopo nito ang bronze medal sa 23rd SEA Games na ginanap sa bansa noong 2005. Pagkatapos ay nagpahinga ito ng 10 taon ngunit sinawimpalad nang maglaro sa Singapore at Kuala Lumpur edition ng Games noong 2017 at 2019.
Ngayong taon ay mataas ang kumpiyansa ng Nationals.
Sinabi ni Larong Volleyball sa Pilipinas, Inc. (LVPI) Vice President at National Team Program Director Peter Cayco na wala silang inaasahan kundi ang podium finish para sa men’s squad, na regular na nagsasanay sa loob ng halos isang taon.
Ayon kay Alinsunurin, ang kanilang Japan trip ay tiyak na makatutulong upang maisakatuparan nila ang kanilang layunin.
“This trip would give us the experience and improve our camaraderie and chemistry on and off the court,” ani Alinsunurin, dating miyembro ng national team.
“We want to test ourselves in real-game situations. We want to know how we would react and how we would adjust when we’re facing a superior and more talented team.”
Aniya, ang Japan ay isang perfect training venue.
“The Japanese are quick and smart. They may not be tall, but their system is very effective, something that we can adopt for the SEA Games, where we would face other talented teams like Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam.”
Sinabi naman ni LVPI Secretary General Ariel Paredes na ang trip ay hindi magiging posible kung walang suporta ng Philippine Sports Commission (PSC).
Sa katunayan, ang government sports agency ay nagpalabas ng kabuuang halos P11 million bukod pa sa volleyball equipment na maaari nilang magamit sa pagsasanay at paghahanda ng kanilang men’s at women’s team.
“Like other NSAs (national sports associations) who are preparing for the SEA Games, the LVPI is also very thankful to the PSC and our other partners,” wika ni Paredes, isang ranking official ng Philippine Superliga.
“The PSC, through chairman William Ramirez and its board of commissioners, have been with us from the time we sent the women’s team for the ASEAN Grand Prix in Thailand up to now that our men’s team will be training in Japan. They also donated volleyball equipment that could help us in our preparation.”
Ang koponan ay pangungunahan ni skipper Johnvic de Guzman, kasama sina Marck Espejo, Ran Abdilla, Mark Alfafara at Joshua Umandal. Kasama rin sa biyahe sina setter Ish Polvorosa, Kim Malabunga, Francis Saura at Rex Intal, at liberos Ricky Marcos at Jack Kalingking.
Sasamahan nina assistant coaches Sherwin Meneses at Dong Dela Cruz si Alinsunurin sa bench, kasama si LVPI director Rod Roque.
Lalahok din si Bryan Bagunas, na naglalaro rin bilang reinforcement para sa Oita Miyoshi sa V.Premier League sa Japan, sa camp sa November 10-16.
“We also tagged along our reserve players like Joey Dela Vega, Jeff Mangulabnan and Fauzi Ismail since they also need to learn the system,” ani Alinsunurin.
“This is a long-term process. They need to absorb everything so they would be ready by the time they make it to the lineup.”
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