Aussies, Vietnamese spice up Shakey’s Invitationals

MANILA, Philippines — Bets from Australia and Vietnam will be out to challege the country’s fancied spikers in the Shakey’s Collegiate National Invitationals starting tomorrow at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

The Ho Chi Minh City Volleyball Club and Austalia’s Southern Storm Melbourne stand in the way of reigning NCAA champion Letran, former four-peat queen St. Benilde, UAAP powerhouse Santo Tomas and Enderun Colleges in the six-team field featuring a single-round eliminations format.

The Top 4 teams will then slug it out in the semifinals and titular showdown under knockout format as the event follows up the groundbreaking seven-team Juniors National Invitationals featuring the Guam-based Pacific Volleyball Academy and the Perfect Set Dream Makers from California, USA.

“It’s a great opportunity to see the future of our Philippine volleyball through this kind of tournaments,” said Victorina Calma, manager and legal counsel of Shakey’s league organizer Athletic Events and Sports Management Inc., (ACES) led by president and CEO Dr. Ian Laurel, during the media launch yesterday at the Shakey’s Malate.