With Alas Pilipinas women having just a week to train for the upcoming 2024 Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Challenge Cup, men’s volleyball national team head coach Sergio Veloso underscored the importance of long-term preparation.
The Brazilian mentor told reporters during the national volleyball teams’ monicker reveal on Wednesday that the preparation starts with planning ahead of the scheduled competitions.
“The national team is important because we have a schedule, we have a FIVB schedule. We have a college season and we have a national team season. When we expect this situation, we can prepare,” Veloso said.
“Look at it now, the women’s (team) has an AVC (Challenge Cup) next week, and you have (UAAP) finals today. There’s only a week left to prepare a strong (team).”
The Alas Pilipinas women, bannered by decorated setter Jia de Guzman and Premier Volleyball League stars, only started its first training on Thursday before they start their Group A campaign in the 2024 Asian Volleyball Confederation Challenge Cup when it battles Australia on 23 May.
The champion in the event will secure a seat in the 2024 FIVB Women’s Challenger Cup in July, where teams will clash to qualify for the prestigious Volleyball Nations League.
Joining the pro skippers are college standouts Angel Canino, Thea Gagate and Julia Coronel from De La Salle University, while University of the East’s Casiey Dongallo was replaced by National University’s Arah Panique due to an injury.
University Athletic Associations of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 86 Most Valuable Player Bella Belen and Finals MVP Alyssa Solomon, meanwhile, begged off but are expected to join the team after the event.
Veloso presented Turkey’s long journey to get to the top of the International Volleyball Federation Women’s Volleyball Ranking as an example to point out that success cannot be achieved overnight.
“When you think about the process, you need to think about not only one year. You need to think about five to 10 years,” Veloso said.
“For example, now at number one in the women’s it’s Turkey. Ten years ago we cannot imagine Turkey (getting) into Top 1. It’s the USA, Brazil... And Turkey started the program 15 years ago. (As time goes by) it became a strong national team.”
The Alas Pilipinas women roster will be mentored by Jorge Souza de Brito, who will have his last major competition with the national team in the 2024 AVC Challenge Cup before his contract expires on 30 June.
