By Adrian Stewart Co
Chery Tiggo Thunderbolts is set to begin its VolleyPrep Volleyball Club Championship 2021 campaign this weekend at the Naga College Foundation Volleyball Center in Naga City.
The tournament will be a first for the volleybelles from Bacolod Tay Tung High School after most of the local competitions were wiped out by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Despite the long layoff, Thunderbolts team manager Jose Montalbo said that the players are in tip top shape to compete with the rest of the field in the week-long volleyball competition.
“The players are ready. We have enough preparation for this tournament,” Montalbo said. “They are also very excited because it was already over a year since they last played competitive volleyball.”
Montalbo also shared that the Thunderbolts’ readiness for the pocket tournament was displayed when they won their series of tune up matches in Baguio City earlier this week.
The Chery Tiggo Thunderbolts will lean on the experiences of team captain Katherine Shaine Cortez along with fellow veterans Gwen Bañas, Aurea Alvero, Amber Lily Biong, and Alijah Ysulan.
Also in the squad are Jihan Chuatico, Jothea Ramos, Alexie Marie Montoro, Jan Ysabelle Chua, Ana Hermosura, Dona Mae de Leon, Patricia Hiponia, and Antheia Galicia.
Other competing teams are Monolith Tigers of Naga City, Kings Montessori School Lady Vikings, California Precision Sports, Parañaque Lady Green Berets, ABCAMP Baguio, Tacloban City Red Stallions, and Fourth District Nueva Ecija.
The eight squads will be divided into two groups of four with the top two teams after the group matches advancing to the knockout semifinals. The championship will also be one game.
The VolleyPrep Volleyball Club Championship 2021 is a Naga City local government unit-sanctioned volleyball tournament that will be held in bubble-format./ASC, WDJ