The two volleybelles are competing for the same award.
Caitlyn Viray and Des Cheng of the Choco Mucho Flying Titans are not just teammates. They are also friends. And they are also adversaries—at least in a contest that happens to be one of the sidelights of the ongoing VTV Cup being held in Vietnam
That contest is the Miss Volleyball VTV Cup 2023, a pageant of sorts that seeks to crown a beauty with integrity—both of which Viray and Cheng certainly possess. The pair of Filipinas are 2 of the 12 volleybelles vying for the crown, as each of the 6 teams have 2 candidates each.
Joining Cheng and Viray are Maland Tara and Stevens Mikaela of the Australian team, Nishikawa Sana and Taguchi Konatsu of Japan’s Kansai University, and Kim Doa and Yoon Youngin of South Korea’s Suwon Club. They will be looking to overcome hometown bets Hoang Thi Kieu Trinh and Nguyen Thi Trinh of Vietnam 1 and Pham Thi Nguyet Anh and Tran Thi Bich Thuy of Vietnam 2.
Previous winners of the pageant include Vietnam national team member Lê Thanh Thúy, former South Korean national team player Ji Jung-hee, and Kazakh national team stalwart Aliya Batkuldina.
The winner of the Miss Volleyball VTV Cup 2023 will be announced after the all-Vietnam final later tonight, which will be preceded by the bronze medal match between Choco Mucho and Kansai University.