Volleyball Nations League (VNL) Men’s Pools Week 3 action erupts starting June 18 at the Mall of Asia Arena in another unprecedented busy month for Philippine volleyball.
“The Alas Pilipinas Women provided the highlight late last month but the momentum for Philippine volleyball continues overseas and at home with the VNL just around the corner,” said Ramon “Tats” Suzara, president of the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF).
The Rizal Memorial Coliseum took a golden bronze hue with Alas Pilipinas’s third place finish in the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Challenge Cup for Women—the country’s best-ever finish, and the first medal, in an Asian level volleyball competition.
“The Alas women’s achievement was a highlight reel yet the PNVF’s focus is multi-pronged,” said Suzara, referring to the various Alas Pilipinas squads campaigning overseas simultaneously.
The men’s national team are in Bahrain for the AVC Challenge Cup for Men, the Under-18 squad is in Thailand for the 22nd Princess Cup SEA U18 Women’s Volleyball Championship and 5th Asian Women’s U18 Volleyball Championship and the Alas women are in Daegu City, South Korea, for a Friendship Tour in connection with the Philippine Independence Day Celebration.
The beach volleyball teams are in Switzerland for the beach pro tour following two weeks of AVC and FIVBA pro tour tournaments at the Nuvali Sand Courts by AyalaLand.
Come July, the Alas Pilipinas women will be back in action this time in the FIVB Volleyball Women’s Challenger Cup which the PNVF is hosting from July 4 to 7 at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
But world-class play will run for six days at the SM Mall of Asia Arena where Paris Olympics-bound France, USA, Germany, Canada, The Netherlands and Japan, plus Brazil and Iran take the floor for the VNL Men’s Pools Week 3 Action.
“Just like in the last two years when we hosted the VNL, the elite league is again expected to attract the avid Filipino fan to elite volleyball action,” Suzara said. “With Japan superstars Yuki Ishikawa and Ran Takahashi reuniting anew for Japan, the MOA Arena is expected to be filled to the rafters once more.”