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Alas Women, Men in tough groups at Asian Games

Sports | Volleyball

Alas Women, Men in tough groups at Asian Games

By Mark Rey Montejo

At A Glance

Alas Pilipinas is up for a tough group assignment after being bracketed in Pool B of women's volleyball event of the Aichi-Nagoya 20th Asian Games in Japan this September.

Alas Women (AVC)

Alas Women (AVC)

Alas Pilipinas is up for a tough group assignment after being bracketed in Pool B of women’s volleyball event of the Aichi-Nagoya 20th Asian Games in Japan this September.

In a draw ceremony Thursday, July 23, the Nationals were grouped alongside nine-time winner and reigning titlist China and the gritty Kazakhstan, which once won bronze in the 2010 Guangzhou edition.

Hangzhou silver medalist Japan banners Pool A together with Indonesia and Nepal; Pool C features Thailand, Chinese Taipei, Kyrgyzstan, and Mongolia, while Pool D has Vietnam, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Qatar.

The Jia De Guzman-skippered crew will be under new coach Taka Minowa with a bevy of talents that include Bella Belen, Alyssa Solomon, and Angel Canino, who were all part of Alas Women’s historic silver in the AVC Women's Nations Cup last year.

Meanwhile, Alas Men is in Pool D alongside South Korea, last edition’s bridesmaid China, and Chinese Taipei, while reigning three-time champ Iran spearheads Pool B with Indonesia, Thailand, and Kyrgyzstan.

Pool A is composed of Japan, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan, while Pool C fields Qatar, India, Vietnam, and Hong Kong.

Marck Espejo and Bryan Bagunas are expected to lead the charge with foreign mentor Angiolino Frigoni at the helm.

It will be the second straight Asian Games appearance for Alas Men (No. 15), while the women's squad (No. 10) marks its return to the meet after its last appearance in 2018.

Related Tags

Alas Pilipinas Asian Games

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