THE Philippines will return after a six-year absence to the Asian Men’s Club Volleyball Championship in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.
Bannered by the core of the squad that clinched the silver medal in the 30th Southeast Asian Games in 2019, Team Rebisco, under the tutelage of Dante Alinsunurin, hopes to make an impact in its first tournament since the historic 2019 run in the regional meet.
It was in 2015 when the country last competed in the continental club tournament via a Sammy Acaylar-coached Cignal HD squad in Chinese-Taipei.
“The Asian Men’s Club Volleyball Championship will serve as a great opportunity for the new players to jell with the holdovers from the highly-regarded 2019 SEA Games squad,” PNVF President Ramon “Tats” Suzara said.
Team Rebisco’s young guns Manuel Sumanguid, Ysay Marasigan, JP Bugaoan, Kim Dayadante, Ish Polvorosa, Nico Almendras and Lloyd Josafat are looking forward for their moment to shine in their international debut.
Even without domestic tournaments during the pandemic, Team Rebisco skipper John Vic De Guzman, together with Kim Malabunga, Rex Intal, Francis Saura, Josh Retamar, Mark Alfafara, Ricky Marcos, Jao Umandal, Jessie Lopez and Jack Kalingking are raring to go against the Asia’s best.
Their familiarity with Alinsunurin’s system will come into handy for Team Rebisco.
Almendras will be a major addition to Team Rebisco’s open spiker position along with De Guzman and Alfafara, while Marasigan will be the club’s other opposite spiker to compliment Umandal.
There will be a new kid in the middle position in Josafat to support Malabunga and Intal, while Dayadante and Polvorosa will make their debut as setters, with Lopez guiding the two young playmakers.
Marcos and Kalingking, for their part, are there to provide stability in defending the backrow.