Valdez leads PH women's vball team to SEAG '23

Photo from Premier Volleyball League

 by Drew Malihan

MANILA - Creamline Cool Smashers' star player Alyssa Valdez will lead the Philippines' women's national volleyball team to their quest at the upcoming 2023 Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia.

The 29-year-old, who missed a good part of the recent Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference after sustaining a knee injury last December 10, will be the team's campaign and be joined by 13 more, including the Creamline core who won the AFC championship.

Among the PNVF call ups from Creamline are Jia De Guzman, Ced Domingo, Jema Galanza, Tots Carlos, Michelle Gumabao, and Kyla Atienza.

Completing the roster for the women's team are Gel Cayuna (Cignal HD Spikers), Glaudine Troncoso (Cignal HD Spikers), Kath Arado (PLDT Highspeed Hitters), Dell Palomata (PLDT Highspeed Hitters), Cherry Nunag (Choco Mucho Flying Titans), Kat Tolentino (Choco Mucho Flying Titans), and Mylene Paat (Chery Tiggo Crossovers).

Among the notable absents are the rest of the Creamline squad Jeanette Panaga, Ella de Jesus, Risa Sato, Pau Soriano, Fille Cainglet-Cayetano, Rizza Mandapat, and Rosemarie Vargas, who suit up for the national team in the 2022 ASEAN Grand Prix in Thailand, as well as Ces Molina, Majoy Baron, Ria Meneses, and Iris Tonelada, who made the last SEA Games and AVC Cup for women's squads.

Aby Maraño meanwhile already retired for national duty, while Jaja Santiago was already out of the pool as coach Jorge Edison Souza de Brito confirmed last January.

The national team will try to avenge a rather dismal last SEAG campaign after just a 1-4 outing in Vietnam.

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