Alas Pilipinas head coach Jorge Souza De Brito named a few of the fresh blood he wants to inject for the national team’s development.
There is no denying that expectations for Alas Pilipinas have soared to great heights.
Following a historic bronze medal campaign in the 2024 AVC Challenge Cup, the momentum has boosted the Philippine women's national volleyball team higher with the hosting of the FIVB Volleyball Women's Challenger Cup next month.
However, head coach Jorge Souza De Brito wants to keep his feet on the ground.
“The expectations right now are getting higher, but also you have to remain grounded and understand that there’s still a lot of things to do,” the Brazilian mentor said.
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De Brito, who has earned a contract extension until the 2025 Southeast Asian Games, is glad to remain at the helm of Alas Pilipinas.
“Well, I can tell you that I am very, very happy because I worked for three years here and our goal is always to win. But that’s a process that you have to go through and when you get these goals, of course you’ll be happy,” he shared.
“I’m very proud of the players who did that, who helped us as a coaching staff to achieve this. Also, I’m really [pleased] because I will be handling them again for the next [tournaments]. I’m sure, we are really, really close to getting better. I’m very happy.”
The first order of business for De Brito is to retain the core of Alas.
The 57-year-old tactician then injected fresh blood into the pool, securing the commitments of Creamline stars Jema Galanza and Tots Carlos, alongside National University stalwarts Alyssa Solomon and Bella Belen.
And De Brito is far from done.
The 1992 Barcelona Olympic gold medalist seeks to further bolster the ranks of Alas Pilipinas, as he eyes more top talents such as Mars Alba, Maddie Madayag, Ivy Lacsina, Tin Ubaldo, and Gayle Pascual.
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“We’re trying to keep the same [core] because I think it’s important. We also need to add more players. Philippine volleyball is much more than these players. I have to congratulate them because we got the goals, but also I told them already that we’re gonna add some good players also because you know, every time you get more talented players, it’s better for us.” De Brito said.
“Internal competitions is always good so we’ll try to bring other guys, but we’re gonna try to keep the same core because it’s too close, the competition is too close.”
Alas Pilipinas are now gearing up for the 2024 FIVB Volleyball Women’s Challenger Cup, which will take place from July 4 to 7 at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila.