The Philippines has qualified its men’s and women’s teams in indoor volleyball events at the Nagoya-Aichi 20th Asian Games this September, Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino announced on Monday.

“This is great news for our volleyball program,” said Tolentino, adding the POC received the email from the Asian Volleyball Confederation on the country’s qualification for the Asiad over the weekend.

The Alas Women made the cut based on its International Volleyball Federation ranking in Asia at No. 10 and the Alas Men at No. 15.

There will be 16 teams each in the men’s and women’s categories in Asian Games volleyball to be played at the Aichi Prefecture from 27 September to 3 October.

The qualified men’s teams are Japan, Iran, Pakistan, South Korea, China, Indonesia, Thailand, Qatar, Bahrain, Chinese-Taipei, India, Vietnam, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Hong Kong.

Competing in the women’s side are Japan, Kazakhstan, Iran, China, Chinese-Taipei, Thailand, Vietnam, Qatar, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, India, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Mongolia and North Korea.

The AVC confirmed the good news to Tolentino, whose POC is bound to be the “caretaker” of the country’s volleyball affairs following the FIVB’s suspension of the Philippine National Volleyball Federation.