Phl spikers keenly await draw

Whether the Philippine beach volleyball teams will make inroads in the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou will be determined during today's groupings, Philippine National Volleyball Federation national commission chief Tonyboy Liao said.

The Philippine volleyball teams flew to Hangzhou last Saturday to become of the early birds.

"There's a general technical meeting for pool play. They haven't started I don't know who we will be up against," said Liao, also the commissioner of the Premier Volleyball League.

"There's no meeting yet so we don't know the pool play. Once the groupings have been decided, then we can gauge our chances."

"The preliminary inquiry was yesterday so most likely, the general technical meeting was last night."

Ranran Abdilla, James Buytrago, Jude Garcia and Jaron Requinton, the core players who snagged three bronze medals in the Southeast Asian Games, will banner the squad in men's play.

With the dynamic duo of Sisi Rondina and Bernadeth Pons unavailable for the national team, it's up to Dij Rodriguez, Gene Eslapor, Grydelle Matibag and Khylem Progella to banner the Philippines as this will be the first time in 17 years the country will join the women's volleyball tournament in the Asiad since the Filipino-American pair of Diane Pascua and Heidi Ilustre finished seventh in 2006.