REIGNING National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Most Valuable Player (MVP) Gretchel Soltones leads Laoag when it faces Philippine Coast Guard at the start of Shakey’s V-League Season 13 Reinforced Conference on Saturday at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.
Soltones is one of the four new recruits who will debut for the Power Smashers in their 4 p.m. encounter against the Lady Dolphins, while Philippine Air Force takes on University of Santo Tomas at 6 p.m.
Soltones, who suited up for BaliPure in the previous tournament, teams up with fellow newcomers Alyssa Eroa, her teammate at San Sebastian College, and Aiko Urdas and Jorelle Singh, who helped National University in its successful title repeat in the collegiate conference.
Laoag is not fielding any import and the four new acquisitions are expected to provide firepower for Head Coach Nes Pamilar’s team, also bannered by mainstays Jema Galanza, Jovielyn Prado and Chie Saet, as the squad is eyeing to improve their fourth-place finish in the Open Conference.
“Unang-una, kung kukuha ako ng import, kulang na sa panahon. Tapos paano mag-je-jell? Mas malaking problema,” the seasoned mentor said. “Sa ngayon hindi ko pa masabi kasi late na rin kami nakapag-start [ng training]. Pero ‘yung mga player sa Team Laoag ngayon, puro seasoned players so hindi ganoon kahirap.”
The Jet Spikers, meanwhile, will also lean on an all-Filipino roster led by the core that finished second in the first conference, led by Wendy Semana, Joy Cases and Judy Caballejo.
They will face the young UST team, which is also fielding an all-Filipino crew led by Cherry Rondina and EJ Laure, whose experience in the 2016 Asian Volleyball Confederation Asian Women’s Club Championship gives them the edge.
Tigresses Head Coach KungFu Reyes will also lean on Chloe Cortez and Ria Meneses.
Other teams seeing action are the Alyssa Valdez-led Bureau of Customs, which brings in Thai reinforcements Kanjana Kuthaisong and Natthanicha Jaisaen; reigning Open Conference champion Pocari Sweat, which parades Filipina-American setter Iris Tolenada and American imports Andrea Kacsits and Breanna Mackie; BaliPure, which boasts Kaylee Manns and Katharine Morelle, as well as its recent recruitment in former V-League MVP Sue Roces; and University of the Philippines (UP) to be powered by Thai imports Sirintra Mhoobin and Paweenut Rueangrum.
Sports Vision President Ricky Palou, Tournament Director Tony Boy Liao and Head of ABS-CBN Integrated Sports Dino Laurena are all excited for the coming tournament.
“We are looking forward to an exciting third conference,” Palou said.
ABS-CBN Sports, the official broadcast partner of V-League, will air all the matches on Sports + Action Channel 23 on free TV, Sports + Action HD on cable and offer livestreaming on sports.abs-cbn.com.
“We’re excited to bring excitement and inspiration again to Filipinos with the return of Shakey’s V-League,” Laurena said. “With the addition of international players, we can only expect our homegrown players to raise their game a notch higher and showcase the Filipinos’ ‘pusong palaban’ in every match.”
Meanwhile, the 2nd Spikers’ Turf Reinforced Conference also fires off when Open Conference champion Air Force and 100 Plus collide at 12:30 p.m.
Other men’s teams that are vying in the tournament are reigning Reinforced Conference Champion Cignal, Philippine Army, Instituto Estetico Manila (IEM) and Champion Supra.
Image credits: Nonoy Lacza