Getting a taste of world-class action will be the ultimate objective when Alas Pilipinas faces the South Korean women’s volleyball team in a friendly match in Daegu City, South Korea on Friday.

Alas Pilipinas head coach Jorge Edson Souza de Brito told Daily Tribune that they are facing the powerhouse Koreans in a bid to acquire valuable lessons that they can use as they shoot for a medal in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand next year.

The Koreans are expected to be perfect teachers.

Aside from being at No. 39 in the International Volleyball Federation ranking, the Koreans are also regular campaigners in the prestigious Volleyball Nations League with two gold, eight silver and four bronze medals in the Asian Games. They are also considered as one of the top four Asian squads together with China, Japan and Thailand.

They were at the peak of their glory when Kim Yeon-koung was still playing until she announced her retirement from the national team in 2021 to give way for young players.

Included in the Alas Pilipinas roster that will play in this friendly match that is part of the 75th anniversary of the Philippine-Korea diplomatic relations, 126th Philippine independence and 29th Korean National Migrant Workers Day are young guns Angel Canino, Thea Gagate, and Julia Coronel of De La Salle University and Arah Panique of National University.

They will be guided by Premier Volleyball League veterans Eya Laure, Sisi Rondina, Fifi Sharma, Vannie Gandler, Dell Palomata, Cherry Nunag, Dawn Macandili, Jen Nierva and Faith Nisperos.

“It’s a really young lineup. Every single day and training is good for us,” De Brito said before boarding their flight on Wednesday.

“Hopefully we can use all the players there. Even in a friendly match, we always have a chance to improve. Another chance for all of us.”

Alas Pilipinas is marching to South Korea oozing with confidence.

In fact, the Filipinas are coming off a historic performance in the AVC Challenge Cup in which they bagged a bronze medal — their first international medal since winning the bronze in the 23rd Asian Games in 2005.

Although the Philippine National Volleyball Federation vows to keep the team intact, the federation still added some young players in University of the East star Casiey Dongallo, and NU stalwarts Alyssa Solomon and Bella Belen.

De Brito stressed that there is no timetable in the integration of Dongallo, Solomon and Belen into the national squad.

But there is strong chance that they will be around when Alas Pilipinas battles Puerto Rico, Argentina, Kenya and Vietnam when it hosts the 2024 Challenge Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium from 4 to 7 July.

“Next month these guys will face ranking No. 36 Vietnam. I’m sure they will enjoy it and try hard to make a great exhibition (match),” De Brito said.

“Big opportunity to keep on growing and developing (their) skills and improve their chemistry.”