By ADRIAN STEWART CO

The Bacolod Tay Tung High School Thunderbolts, representing Western Visayas, will aim for back-to-back titles in the 2024 Palarong Pambansa secondary girls’ volleyball at the University of San Jose Recoletos-Basak Gym in Cebu City beginning on Wednesday, July 10.

According to head coach Ian Macariola, the Region 6 volleyball squad is much younger compared to the team that won the gold medal last year against the National Capital Region in Marikina City.

The same Thunderbolts squad came from a runner-up finish in the 2024 Shakey’s Girls Volleyball League after losing to the UAAP girls’ volleyball tournament champion Adamson University Lady Baby Falcons in the finals.

“We are a much younger team now compared to last year,” Macariola said.

“We saw [from our Shakey’s campaign] that there [is] still so much to fix if we want to repeat as Palaro champions,” he said.

“So that became the focus of our training the past few weeks before we go here in Cebu. We really turned our focus in the areas where we had a hard time against Adamson,” he added.

Bannering the Western Visayas squad is team captain Jothea Mae Ramos, Rhose Viane Almendralejo, Brianna Nikola Ang, Camila Amor Bartolome, Mary Antonette Bontia, and Dona Mae de Leon.

Also part of the Thunderbolts squad are Jan Rose Bulak, Czarina Marcella Dosayla, Ana Francessca Hermosura, Ana Ysabelle Hermosura, Joenil Anne Ramos, and Rhea Mae Tomas.

Jothea, who is set to join the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons after the competition, agreed with Macariola that the Western Visayas representatives need to double their effort to repeat as national champions.

“We are aware that we have to double our effort if we want to win it again,” Jothea said.

“Our opponents here are much taller and more skilled, so we really need to give our 100 percent each game,” she added.

The Western Visayas secondary girls’ volleyball squad is bracketed with Regions 1, 2 and 12 in Group A./ASC, WDJ