WHILE focus will be on the homegrown talents and their respective schools, four Thai aces will try to steal the spotlight and at the same time, provide the fireworks as they reinforce four squads in the Shakey’s V-League first conference which fires off on Sunday at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan.
Jeng Bualee and Keawbundit Sontaya will return, as the two will head a crack roster of Thai spikers going up against each other as they fuel their respective teams’ campaign in the first conference of the seventh season of the country’s premier women’s volley league sponsored by Shakey’s Pizza.
First-time Thai imports Piyatada Lasungnern and Tip Santrong will play for newcomer Southwestern University and Lyceum, respectively.
The four personally appeared in a special PSA Forum session Tuesday at Shakey’s U.N. Ave. branch along with Moying Martelino, chairman of the organizing Sports Vision, operations director Ricky Palou, commissioner Tony Liao, Metro Sports president Freddie Infante, and marketing manager Barbie Ocampo.
Martelino stressed the presence of foreign players has primarily helped the `transfer of technology’ to Filipino bets since `we have to consider that at least in Southeast Asia, Thailand is on top and all of us are a poor second.’
The Thais are traditional powerhouse in Southeast Asia.
Two days before the Shakey’s V-League unfurls, the Shakey’s Girls Volleyball League gets underway at the Filoil Flying V Arena, with defending champion Hope Christian High School and UST expected to crowd each other out for the crown.
Hope and UST produced V-League stars like Jem Ferrer, Maru Banaticla, Dindin Santiago and Rhea Dimaculangan.
Bualee reunites with the Lady Stags, whom she powered to a runner-up finish behind the Tigresses in last year’s first conference, raring to help steer the team to its second championship after ruling the second conference of the 2008 season.
While vowing to dish out her best, the former league MVP hopes to draw solid games from veterans Joy Benito, Bonsai Mirasol, Elaine Cruz and Margarita Pepito and fellow guest player Suzanne Roces, also an MVP awardee.
Keawbundit on the other hand, will reinforce Ateneo, with the four-time Thai national team player leading a team tipped as a solid title contender with a roster that includes Ferrer, Gretchen Ho, Bea Pascual, Kara Acevedo, Fille Cainglet and Dzi Gervacio.
The 18-year old Keawbundit, an open spiker, saw action in the Asian Youth, the Southeast Asian and Asian Junior Volleyball Championships and the World Juniors in Mexico last year.
Lyceum, a league pioneer whose best finish remains a couple of third place efforts, has also enlisted the services of a Thai in Santrong, as it tires to fan its first-ever crack at the championship in the tournament organized by Sports Vision and backed by Accel, Mikasa and Mighty Bond.
Santrong, a six-time member of the Thai national team, could be the Lady Pirates’ missing link to their quest for V-League glory, with the 23-year old wing spiker and middle blocker confident of helping the team become a serious title contender.
CESAFI champion Southwestern University also brings its act to the Big City behind Thai import Lasungnern, also a national team mainstay, who played in the Asian Youth Girls Volleyball Tournament and the World Youth Volleyball Championships, making them the tournament’s dark horse, according to Liao.
“Basically, the four title favorites are defending champion UST, San Sebastian, Adamson and Ateneo, with Southwestern University as the probable dark horse,” said the V-League commissioner.
Also seeing action in the meet are College of Saint Benilde, Far Eastern University and Visayan teams University of St. La Salle and Univ. of San Jose-Recoletos.
The local talents led by MVP Aiza Maizo and Banaticla of UST, Angela Benting and Pau Soriano of Adamson, St. Benilde’s Giza
Yumang and Katty Kwan, FEU’s Cherry Vivas and Shaira Gonzales will still be the tournament’s main draw, although the presence of the Thai players is expected to further generate interest in the league. (TJ)
