Fibr-PH Power Pinays “Final 12” bared, opens vs. India in AVC Women’s Volleyball tilt

From a pool of seventeen, Fibr-Philippines Head Coach Nes Pamilar has submitted the final list of twelve intrepid Filipinas who will be on the official team roster for the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Asian Senior Women’s Volleyball Championship which begins on September 13 in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.

The 23-person contingent known as the “Power Pinays” composed of seventeen aspirants and six officials left Manila for this biennial meet last Wednesday (September 11) with the full knowledge that only twelve will make the final line-up, while the five that are cut will continue to train with the team backed by the Philippine Volleyball Federation (PVF), the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and internet giant PLDT HOME Fibr broadband.

Here’s the final roster, in alphabetical order:

#12 Joy Benito (Outside)

#18 Mich Datuin (Middle)

#3 Jheck Dionela (Libero)

#7 Wenneth Eulalio (Middle)

#14 Tatan Gata-Pantone (Libero)

#16 Danika Gendrauli (Opposite/Outside)

#6 May Macatuno (Setter)

#1 Aiza Maizo-Pontillas (Opposite)

#17 Chie Saet (Setter)

#10 Pau Soriano (Middle)

#2 Angge Tabaquero (Outside)—Team Captain

#15 Royse Tubino (Middle)

The ones who will continue to train with the team are:

Arriane Argarin (Setter)

Angela Benting (Outside)

Faye Guevara (Opposite/Middle)

Sandra de los Santos (Middle)

Rosemarie Vargas (Outside)

Pamilar made the announcement after the Power Pinays’ morning practice today (September 12) and explains that this caps off a process that took several weeks to complete.

“We (the coaching staff, the team management and I) thought very hard about it and we planned it very carefully,” the veteran former player and Head Coach of the Far Eastern University (FEU) said, in the vernacular. “You have to have the right combination of players if you really want to win.”

But after divulging the final cut to his charges, Pamilar became more paternal to the ones who were excluded.

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“Don’t let this upset you,” he comforted Argarin, Benting, Guevara, de los Santos and Vargas. “It doesn’t mean that you’re no longer bart of the national team just because you won’t be playing here. You are all part of this. Whether we win or lose, you are still going back home as a team.”

Pamilar stressed that the squad went for more of a taller line-up as the Philippines’ bracketing in Group B has pagodas such as India, Iran and defending champion China.

“(That’s one of the reasons) we included players like Datuin and Tubino (in the line-up),” Pamilar detailed. “(They) can help the team (in) blocking.”

The Power Pinays’ starting six is still being kept under wraps, however.

“In this kind of a tournament, there are no stars,” he said with a smile. “It’s just who wakes up at the right side of the bed.”

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Fibr-Philippines opens its campaign today (September 13th) at 11:00AM (local time, 12:00NN Manila time) against the unfamiliar Indians—eleventh ranked in Asia. On Saturday, the Power Pinays take on Iran before ending their preliminary round schedule on Sunday against the Chinese.

If the Philippines finishes within the top two of its group, it advances to the quarterfinals to face the top two from Group A (which will now be known as Group E). The top two emerging from that phase meet in the crossover semifinals and the winners there move on to the championship match. The whole tournament will be over in nine days (including one rest day on Monday, September 16th).

Here are the groupings for the preliminary stages:

GROUP A: Thailand (host), Australia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan

GROUP B: Philippines, India, Iran, China (defending champions)

GROUP C: Indonesia, Japan, Vietnam, Hong Kong

GROUP D: Korea, Sri Lanka, Chinese-Taipei, Myanmar

The Philippines last joined this competition in 2005 starring a team bannered by present Philippine Army stalwarts Tina Salak, Mary Jean Balse and the Carolino sisters. The team finished ninth out of the twelve nations that participated then.

Out of the eight times the country saw action in the tournament, the Filipinas have never finished in the medal rounds. Their best performance was in the 1983 edition in Tokyo when Thelma Barina led the Philippines to a fifth place showing. This was also the time that the Philippines was the most dominant nation in Southeast Asian women’s volleyball, winning six SEA Games Gold Medals and finishing in the podium since the sport was included in the games in 1977. The 2005 staging in Beijing was the last participation of the nationals in any FIVB-sanctioned indoor volleyball event until this year, so the Power Pinays’ presence in this tournament is not only historic but groundbreaking.

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“It’ll be like coming back to school for them,” one sportswriter quipped. “They haven’t matched-up against the countries they were easily beating eight years ago. It’ll be payback time, but let’s see how the Power Pinays hold up.”

As it is said in the local colloquial jargon, “This is it, pancit!”

The Power Pinays are on a mission to regain a foothold in the Asian stage. And while these initial steps may be the toughest ones to take, there is progress in the horizon and the Fibr-Philippine contingent is ready for the challenges ahead.

We’re back.

(With reports from Mark Dionisio)

Follow Noel Zarate on Twitter (@NoelZarate) and email sportztackle@yahoo.com