National team members of Japan and Thailand arrived in Manila early this week to gear up for Week 2 of the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) women’s leg scheduled June 14 to 19 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
First to arrive was Thailand on Tuesday afternoon, June 7 followed by Japan on Wednesday, June 8 also in preparation for their exhibition match with the women’s national volleyball team in the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) International Challenge happening on Saturday and Sunday at The Arena in San Juan City.
The Thais are coming off a strong first week in the tournament with a 3-1 win-loss record capped by a stunning five-set win over China in Ankara, Turkey,
Though they are missing injured middle blocker Thatdao Nuekjan, the reigning Southeast Asian Games champions will have Pimpichaya Kokram and Ajcharaporn Kongyot leading the charge.
Japan, for its part, is coming off a 4-0 record in Shreveport and Bossier City in the United States. They will be parading a new team captain in Sarina Koga and Arisa Inoue.
Meanwhile, Canada will arrive Friday and China on Saturday, June 11.
Other teams expected to arrive are Tokyo Olympics gold medalist and three-time VNL titlist United States, Belgium, Bulgaria and Poland.
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