Fil-Am players Steven Rotter, Michael Vicente, and Cyrus de Guzman will make their national team debuts in the SEA Games. Karl Cedrick Basco, ABS-CBN News
MANILA -- Three Filipino-American players will be part of the men's national volleyball team at the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia in May.
Veteran setter Vince Mangulabnan will be the captain of the squad, the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) announced on Sunday. Headlining the team is newly-crowned Spikers' Turf Most Valuable Player Joshua Umandal.
The SEA Games will mark the national team debuts of Fil-Am players Steven Rotter, Michael Vicente, and Cyrus de Guzman, who were formally introduced last month as the federation's new recruits.
Completing the team are Umandal's AMC-Cotabato teammates in Lloyd Josafat, Kim Dayandante, Vince Lorenzo and Jayvee Sumagaysay, along with NU-Archipelago's Rwenzmel Taguibolos and Leo Ordiales, Cignal's Manuel Sumanguid III, Iloilo's Jade Disquitado and University of Santo Tomas's Jay Rack Dela Noche.
Several of the mainstays of the national team -- including 2019 silver medalists Bryan Bagunas, Marck Espejo and Joshua Retamar -- have begged off for this year's SEA Games. In January, Dante Alinsunurin confirmed that he will no longer be the coach of the squad.
Instead, the PNVF tapped Brazilian coach Sergio Valadares Veloso to call the shots for the men's team.
His coaching staff includes: Odjie Mamon assistant coach), Rommel Abella (assistant coach), Mark Gil Alfafara (trainer), Melchizedek Samonte (strength and conditioning coach) and Jerome Guhit (team manager).
The men's team is coming off a fifth place finish from last year's SEA Games in Vietnam, where they fell short of expectations after a historic silver in Manila 2019.
The Cambodia SEA Games formally opens on May 5, but the volleyball tournament will get a head start on May 3 at the Morodok Techo Elephant Hall.
FROM THE ARCHIVES: