PVL expected to announce Philippine women’s volleyball pool soon

MANILA, Philippines – Tasked with forming the Philippine national women’s volleyball team for the foreseeable future starting this month, the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) is set to convene on Wednesday, May 8, to determine lineups for upcoming international competitions.

The lineup is expected to be announced shortly after as the PVL heads into a much-anticipated best-of-three All-Filipino finals between the Creamline Cool Smashers and the Choco Mucho Flying Titans starting Thursday, May 9.

PVL chairman Tony Boy Liao confirmed the development to Rappler on Monday, May 6, as he works on his concurrent task as Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) national team commissioner.

Meanwhile, SportsVision chief Ricky Palou said the league formed a 20-player pool which will need the approval of national team head coach Jorge Edson Souza de Brito.

“[B]asically, we came up with a list of 20 players while waiting for De Brito to look at it and see if he wants to make any changes or if he’s satisfied with it,” Palou said on Sunday, May 5.

“Actually, this pool was recommended by several coaches, they submitted it, they looked at it, and we submitted it to De Brito for his comments,” he added.

“We’re waiting for his reply. We should be getting that in the next few days.”

The PNVF announced on Sunday that it is delegating to the PVL the task of forming, training, and managing the women’s team starting with the AVC Challenge Cup for Women from May 22 to 29.

“We are honored that the Philippine National Volleyball Federation gave us the responsibility of handling the national team for women’s [volleyball],” Palou said.

The AVC Challenge Cup for Women, which will be held at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila, features squads from the Philippines, Kazakhstan, Iran, Chinese Taipei, Vietnam, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia, and India. – Rappler.com