ALYSSA VALDEZ would definitely miss a three-day tryout for the national women’s volleyball team to the Malaysia 29th Southeast Asian Games because of her commitment to the Thailand club 3BB Nakornnont.
But the popular outside spiker and former Ateneo star still has a chance to be a member of the national squad to Kuala Lumpur.
National women’s team coach Francis Vicente has set separate tryouts in Cebu for the Visayas and Davao City for Mindanao to give players in the provinces equal opportunity to make the delegation to Kuala Lumpur.
“If Alyssa really wants to play for the national team, she has to join the tryouts,” Vicente told the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum on Tuesday at Shakey’s Malate. “I want to be fair and I will not give anyone a special treatment.”
Valdez flew to Bangkok on Sunday to join 3BB Nakornnont in its campaign in the 2017 Women’s Volleyball Thailand League.
The Filipina superstar will play her first game for the Thai club on January 29, a date that coincides with the January 28, 29 and 31 tryouts that Vicente has scheduled.
Larong Volleyball ng Pilipinas Inc. (LVPI) officials told the same forum that they are confident Valdez would come home for the tryouts, most probably in the provincial schedule.
“I’m taking her word for it, that she’s really sincere and a very kind person,” LVPI Vice President Peter Cayco said. “But it’s really up to coach Francis as regards to her commitment.”
“Alyssa’s gesture of going [back] home just to join tryouts is really commendable and it’s a manifestation of her being a true athlete and her sincerest desire to serve the country via the national team,” LVPI President Joey Romasanta said.
Valdez, the BusinessMirror learned, has booked open tickets from Bangkok to Manila in the event she is obliged to fly home to join the tryouts.