Pinoy spikers face acid test in Asia-Pacific Cup

A tall, young and promising Philippine men’s volleyball squad left the other day to compete in the prestigious 15th Asia-Pacific Cup Men’s Volleyball Championship in Fukuoka, Japan. The tournament, which starts today and will end on the 21st, will be an acid test for the RP team, which will be joining its first tournament after a hiatus of three years.

Backstopped by the country’s top players culled from different colleges in Metro Manila, the team boasts of an average height of 6-foot-3, with the tallest standing at 6-7, and only two players standing below six feet.

The team is coached by Song Ho Young, a former national junior coach in Korea, who is also the training director for both the men’s and women’s teams, while former national coach August Sta. Maria is the team’s head of delegation.

The team is led by the power-hitting pair of Oliver Balse, formerly of UST, and Rhovyl Verayo of University of St. La Salle-Bacolod. Also in the team’s top six rotation are Dante Alinsunurin of Adamson, Jeffrey Drio of UST and Chizon Escosio of San Carlos College in Pangasinan.

Before enplaning for Fukuoka, the team paid a courtesy call on Philippine Sports Commission chairman Eric Buhain, who encouraged the team to do their best despite their being an almost brand-new squad.

"This is a very new team, but I believe that with the right training and exposure and with the support of the government and the private sector and the volleyball federation, this team will one day become one of the toughest teams in the region," said Song.

The other participating teams in the three-day tournament include defending champion Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam