THE world’s best spikers are coming and will make their presence felt when the Volleyball National League comes back to town with the men’s division’s Manila leg at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Powerhouse Italy will field in its world FIVB champion team, to be spearheaded by the likes of Giulio Pinalli, Francesco Recine and Allesandro Michieleto, and other spikers who helped the squad make it to fourth place in the VNL last year.
VNL local organizing committee chairman Ramon “Tats” Suzara announced this following a VNL presentation on Monday at the Diamond Hotel in Manila.
First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos will hold the ceremonial serve during the opening ceremonies before the first game when action begins on July 4, with Brazil facing Italy at 3 p.m., and Japan meeting China at 7 p.m.
“The top four teams in the world are here, with world champion Brazil coming back. Poland, the silver medallist of the 2014 world championship, is also returning. And there’s also Slovenia, the fourth place in the world last year,” said Suzara.
Pasay City Mayor Emi Calixto-Rubiano also joined the launch with Philippine Sports Commission chairman Richard Bachmann.
The country’s hosting this year comes after the Philippine National Volleyball Federation successfully staged a men’s and women’s leg at the Araneta Coliseum in 2022.
Brazil, one of the most popular teams, will be fielding a tall squad led by 6’3” Bruno Rezende, Ricardo Lucarelli and Flavio Gualberto, who led the team to a quarterfinal finish last year.
Italy and Brazil are among the eight of the world’s top 25 men’s squads coming to Manila.
World no. 1 Poland will be around to keep world no. 3 Brazil company, along with no. 6 Italy, no. 8 Japan, no. 9 Slovenia, the Netherlands, Canada and China.