Macandili to skip national volley team's Japan training

MANILA, Philippines – The national women’s volleyball team will fly to Japan with one missing personnel after Dawn Macandili begged off due to school commitment.

F2 Logistics team manager Hollie Reyes confirmed that Macandili will not be on board when the Nationals embark on a two-week training camp in Okayama, Japan starting next week.

Reyes said Macandili has to attend to some pressing school commitments, including her thesis and on-the-job training, to complete the requirements for her bachelor’s degree in Psychology.

With Macandili staying behind, Denden Lazaro will be the lone libero for the Nationals, who will be bannered by skipper Aby Marano, Jaja Santiago, Alyssa Valdez and Kim Fajardo, in their Japan boot camp.

“She’s not going,” said Reyes, a former member of the champion team of De La Salle University under 11-time UAAP champion coach Ramil de Jesus.

“She has to catch up with schoolwork like thesis and OJT.”

Macandili could be an asset for the national team in Japan.

Last year, she caught the eye of Okayama Seagulls coach Akiyoshi Kawamoto, telling her that her quickness, volleyball IQ and nose for the ball can propel her to become a world-class player.

“You will be a world-class player,” Kawamoto told Macandili during the Nationals’ 17-day training in Japan in preparation for the Southeast Asian Games last year.

“Even the Seagulls are impressed at you. You just have to get rid of your stiffness at the backline. Your stance should always be bouncy.

Few weeks later, Macandili went on to become the second best libero in the AVC Asian Senior Women’s Championship.

Macandili already hinted that she’s about to miss the Japanese training.

“We will have training in Japan so we’ll see if I can join,” said Macandili shortly after the Cargo Movers grabbed the Chooks to Go-Philippine Superliga Invitational Conference.

The Nationals are now processing their Japanese visa with everybody, even members of the pool, expected to join.