At A Glance
- Alas Pilipinas is adding a potent duo in its lineup as collegiate spikers Angel Canino and Shai Nitura join the national women's squad in the 2025 AVC Women's Volleyball Nations Cup which starts this weekend in Hanoi, Vietnam.
De La Salle’s Canino and Adamson's Nitura will join current UAAP players in Far Eastern University middle blocker Cla Loresco and National University setter Lams Lamina in the official 16-woman roster for the tournament slated from June 7 to 14.
Meanwhile, spearheading the pack are former NU Lady Bulldogs Bella Belen and Alyssa Solomon, Julia Coronel, Thea Gagate, Leila Cruz, Fifi Sharma, Eya Laure, Vanie Gandler, and Jen Nierva.
Also included are playmaker Jia de Guzman and libero Dawn Catindig along with fellow veteran Dell Palomata.
Jorge de Brito, who was recently appointed as the chief tactican of the Capital1 Solar Spikers, will serve as the head coach for the national team.
The Philippines earned its ticket in the meet after snaring a bronze medal in the 2024 AVC Women's Challenge Cup at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum where Canino and De Guzman shone with their respective individual awards.
The Filipina hitters, seeded third, are bracketed in Pool B which includes Kazakhstan (2), Iran (6), Indonesia (7), and unseeded Mongolia and New Zealand.
On the other hand, Pool A is made up of host Vietnam, Australia (4), India (5), Hong Kong (8), and Chinese Taipei (9) with all squads eyeing to secure enough points to earn them a spot in the FIVB Volleyball Nations League (VNL) and 2026 Asian Championship.
Powerhouse countries in China, South Korea, Thailand, and Japan were not taking part in the week-long tiff as they were already included in the VNL.