Pleumjit, Koga lead stellar cast of Asian stars at Women's Championship

Bangkok Glass of Thailand, headed by renowned middle blocker Pleumjit, will team up with co-national team players Wilavan Apinyapong and Pornpun Guedpard to defend their Asian Club Championship title, together with their foreign reinforcements Ashley Frazier and Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hoa.

The Thai club will face a worthy cast of challengers, namely, NEC Red Rockets of Japan, Ba’Yi Shenzheng of China, Jakarta Elektrik of Indonesia, Thongtin Lien Viet Post Bank of Vietnam, Pocari Sweat of Hong Kong, 4.25 Sports Club of DPR Korea, Sarmayeh Bank of Iran, Altay of Kazakhstan, Taichung Bank of Chinese Taipei, the Malaysian women’s volleyball team and the host club Foton Pilipinas.

Japan’s brilliant youngster Sarina Koga is the go-to hitter of NEC Red Rockets. Koga is one of the key players in the national team that played a superb 2015 season as she was the team’s second best scorer and spiker in the FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Cup, and was instrumental in the national league final match against Hisamitsu Springs. She will team up with captain Akari Oumi, who was the league’s Most Valuable Player.

Ba’Yi Shenzheng has a strong national team foundation. The team is bannered by current and former national team players Liu Yanhan, Shen Jingsi and Yang Junjing; and mentored by former national team coach Yu Juemin and former captain Wu Yongmei.

Thongtin Lien Viet Post Bank and 4.25 Sports Club are fielding in an almost intact line-up. The two clubs also participated in last year’s edition in Ha Nam, Vietnam. Thongtin Lien Viet Post Bank will be led by Tran Thi Tao and Do Thi Minh, while 4.25 Sports Club will be spearheaded by Jong Jin Sim and Ju Un Hyang.

Sarmayeh Bank will rely on their strong hitter Maedah Borhani, who also led them in scoring in last year’s edition. A young and talented squad will represent Taichung Bank, while seasoned players Sana Anarkulova and Inna Matveyeva will represent Altay.

Foton Pilipinas represent the host team and they will seek to improve on the Philippines’ seventh place finish last year. Towering middle blocker Alyja Daphne Santiago is expected to lead the local talents in the team, while their foreign reinforcements Ariel Usher and Lindsay Usher will provide them with the support to face the tough contenders this year.

Jakarta Elektrik, Pocari Sweat and the Malaysian women’s team are the new teams in the 2016 edition and are expected to bring their A-Game when they compete against the other club teams. Jakarta Elektrik and Malaysia are tough teams in the Southeast Asian region, while the Pocari Sweat squad have shown great progress, as they have benefitted from their local and international trainings, and their regular presence in international competitions.

The preliminary round will start on September 3, with Taichung Bank facing the Malaysian women’s team in the opening match at 11:30 local time. Hosts Foton Pilipinas will play Pocari Sweat at 14:30, followed by the match-up of Altay and Jakarta Elektrik at 17:00. The last match of the day will be between 4.25 Sports Club and Sarmayeh Bank at 19:00.