PNVF forms coaching staff for world meet

MANILA, Philippines — Seasoned coach Dante Alinsunurin will make a comeback as one of the deputies for the national men’s team as host Philippines pulls out all the stops to parade a competitive squad against the best of the best in the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championships 2025.

The former national team tactician will serve as one of the deputies to current head coach Sergio Veloso of Brazil, whom the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) named as Alinsunurin’s replacement last year.

Alinsunurin authored the Filipino spikers’ silver-medal finish in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games here at home and their fifth-place campaign in the 2022 Hanoi edition before Veloso took over.

Another experienced mentor in Santo Tomas’ Odjie Mamon is also in as Veloso’s assistants, making it a stacked coaching staff for the Philippines that had been picked by the FIVB as the world tilt host for the first time ever.

All three coaches are currently in the thick of competition in the UAAP Season 86 with Veloso serving as the new head coach of the rebuilding Ateneo women’s team.

Mamon, with UST, and Alinsunurin with three-time champion NU and Choco Mucho in the PVL, are going head-to-head in the UAAP men’s division after meeting in the finals last year.

The star-studded coaching staff has been tasked by the PNVF to come up with a 25-man training pool next month after the ongoing Spikers’ Turf.

The national pool, expected to be led by top spikers Marck Espejo and Bryan Bagunas, will take part in year-long build-up before being trimmed down to 14 players for the world joust on Sept. 12 to 28 next year.

The Philippines last participated in the event back in the 1974 edition in Mexico and, as the next host, gained an automatic slot in the world event featuring the 32 best nations led by reigning world champion Italy and current No. 1 Poland.