Philippines Men’s Volleyball Team Begins SEA V-League Campaign
FILE–Philippine men’s volleyball coach Sergio Veloso during the country’s first game in the 32nd SEA Games. –CAMBODIA 2023
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine men’s volleyball team is set to compete in the Southeast Asian (SEA) V-League first leg campaign as they face host Indonesia on Friday in Jakarta.
Coach Sergio Veloso has selected new players from his pool of talent, with Marck Espejo not participating in the tournament in order to prepare for his upcoming Korean V-League stint.
Vince Mangulabnan, Ryan Ka, and Rex Intal will also not be on the team for the regional meet. Instead, Edward Camposano, Cyrus De Guzman, Jayvee Sumagaysay, and NCAA’s best setter Adrian Villados from Arellano have joined the roster.
The SEA V-League was established by Philippine National Volleyball Federation President Tats Suzara and Thailand Federation President Shanrit Wongprasert.
The Philippine team will face Thailand on July 22, a day before taking on Vietnam. The team with the best record will be declared the winner of the first leg.
After finishing 10th in the AVC Challenge Cup for Men in Taiwan, Jau Umandal will continue to lead the young team, which includes Steve Rotter, Noel Kampton, Kim Malabunga, Madz Gampong, Lloyd Josafat, Chumason Njigha, Kim Dayandante, and liberos Manuel Sumanguid and Vince Lorenzo.
Additionally, the Philippines will host the second leg of the inaugural men’s tournament from July 28 to 30 at Santa Rosa Multi-Purpose Complex in Laguna.
“The VLeague aims to further strengthen and develop men’s volleyball in the region,” said Suzara, who successfully hosted the Men’s Week 3 of the Volleyball Nations League in Pasay City earlier this month.
The participating countries are evenly matched in terms of rankings in the International Volleyball Federation or FIVB. Vietnam is the highest-ranked men’s team at No. 56, followed closely by Thailand at No. 58, the Philippines at No. 59, and Indonesia at No. 68.
A separate women’s series will also be held from August 4 to 6 in Vihn Phuc, Vietnam, and from August 11 to 13 in Chiangmai, Thailand.
