The final lineup of the squad that will do battle for the country in the inaugural Asian Women’s Under-23 Volleyball Championships was released yesterday by head coach Roger Gorayeb and in it included a young Cebuana from Catmon who dared to dream big: Gretchel Soltones.
Soltones, who started to hone her skills in Lapu-Lapu City, at the Pajo National High School under former head coach Fr. Rolando T. Manayon to be more precise, was selected to play alongside a who’s-who of college volleyball. This includes reigning UAAP MVP Alyssa Valdez, her teammate at the Shakey’s V-League powerhouse PLDT Home Ultera.
The rest of the team is comprised of Jia Morado, Bea de Leon, EJ Laure, Myla Pablo, Jaja Santiago, Alyssa Eroa, Ria Meneses, Jhoanna Maraguinot, Rissa Sato and late entry Elaine Kasilag who replaced Kim Fajardo who backed out of the squad because of a prior commitment.
The tournament, a qualifier for the 2015 FIVB Women’s U-23 Volleyball World Championships, kicks off next weekend at the Philsports Arena.
The hosts test their mettle against Iran and Kazakhstan in Group A. Other teams in this tournament include China, India and Macau in Group B; Japan, Chinese-Taipei and Maldives in Group C; and South Korea, Thailand and Uzbekistan over in Group D.