MANILA, Philippines – Ateneo team officials on Wednesday confirmed that their volleyball players did not receive invitations to attend a special tryout for the national team.

National team coach Francis Vicente, when asked to explain the exclusion of Ateneo setter Jia Morado from the national team pool, insisted that the veteran playmaker was invited to a one-day tryout on March 12 along with teammates Kat Tolentino and Maddie Madayag, National University's Jasmine Nabor, University of the Philippines' Isa Molde, and Far Eastern University's Remy Palma and Toni Rose Basas.

"She was invited," Vicente said of Morado during the PSA Forum on Tuesday.

However, Ateneo team manager Tony Boy Liao and Ricky Palou made it clear on Wednesday that none of their players received invitations, and neither did the university's athletics office.

"None of our players received an invitation, men's or women's," Palou told reporters ahead of Ateneo's game against University of Santo Tomas.

"The players said they didn't get any, and if the athletics office got the invitation, they would have asked the players also, 'di ba," he added.

Madayag and Tolentino made it to the 25-member pool, with Vicente explaining that they were "handpicked."

According to Palou, the two players were surprised at their inclusion.

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"They were surprised. 'We're in the pool? We didn't even try out,'" Palou said.

Liao explained that their players could not join the special tryout – or the regular three-day tryout held in Metro Manila in January 28, 29 and 31 – because the schedule was in conflict with the preparation for the UAAP and the athletes' classes.

"Number one, may ongoing UAAP, and number two, may klase. So talagang 'yung oras [ang problema]," Liao said.

Madayag and Tolentino joined a star-studded pool that included former Ateneo stars Alyssa Valdez and Denden Lazaro, as well as La Salle standouts Kim Fajardo, Kianna Dy and Dawn Macandili.

Liao is doubtful that Madayag and Tolentino will make it to the line-up that will be sent to the Southeast Asian Games in August, and instead believes that their players will end up competing for the country in the AVC Under-23 tournament from May 13 to 21.

In any case, both players will not be allowed to join the national team in training while the UAAP tournament is ongoing.

Nevertheless, he says the players in the pool deserved to be there.

"Wala namang masama doon sa ginawang 24 team members eh. Siyempre, kung sino man ang nandoon, kailangan suportahan natin," he said.

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