For the first time, Brooke Van Sickle, MJ Philips, and Tia Andaya will represent the Philippines in an international tournament as they are set to suit up for Alas Pilipinas in the upcoming 2025 VTV International Women’s Volleyball Cup in Vietnam from June 28 to July 5.
After their championship in the 2024–25 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference, Van Sickle took some time away from volleyball to rest in her hometown in Hawaii, while Phillips and Andaya joined the training pool right away.
“For sure, she will help us as a team. As everybody knows, we’re just waiting for her papers to be released. Until then, she’s training with us to get ready to play for Alas. She was the MVP in our last PVL All-Filipino, but volleyball isn’t an individual sport. She’s adapting very well, just like MJ and Tia,” Alas Pilipinas head coach Jorge Souza de Brito was quoted as saying.
Jazareno, Provido, Alba, Malaluan, Madayag Join as De Guzman, Catindig, Lamina, and Others Return
Justine Jazareno of the Akari Chargers, Amie Provido of the De La Salle University Lady Spikers, Mars Alba of the Choco Mucho Flying Titans, Alleiah Malaluan of the PLDT High Speed Hitters, and Maddie Madayag of the Kurobe AquaFairies will also take part in the tournament.
Team captain Jia De Guzman, Dawn Catindig, Lams Lamina, Dell Palomata, Eya Laure, Vanie Gandler, Thea Gagate, and Fifi Sharma are the holdovers from the historic team that won a silver medal in the 2025 AVC Women’s Volleyball Nations Cup.
The 17-woman lineup will be trimmed down to 14 before the start of the tournament.
UAAP stars Bella Belen, Alyssa Solomon, Angel Canino, and Shaina Nitura will sit out to rest and recuperate as well as Jennifer Nierva, Clarisse Loresco, and Julia Coronel.
According to One Sports, De Brito said the players could be back in future tournaments. He said, “After the UAAP, all of them joined straight to train in the national team. So for sure, they need a break. They went straight from training to the finals. It’s our plan to keep them safe and also have them ready for the next competitions – we still have the SEA V.League.
Team Composition for the 2025 VTV International Women’s Volleyball Cup
Spikers: Laure, Gandler, Malaluan, Van Sickle, Cruz
Fresh from a silver-medal finish in the 2025 AVC Women’s Volleyball Nations Cup, Eya Laure and Vanie Gandler will once again suit up for Alas Pilipinas. Laure and Gandler were also part of the team that won bronze in the then 2024 AVC Women’s Challenge Cup, and in the first and second leg of the 2024 SEA Women’s V.League.
Alleiah Malaluan currently plays for the PLDT High Speed Hitters in the PVL, being a first-round pick in the 2025 PVL Draft. Malaluan was part of the De La Salle University Lady Spikers team that won the gold medal in UAAP Season 85.
Brooke Van Sickle currently plays for the Petro Gazz Angels, the team she led to a championship in the 2024-25 PVL All-Filipino Conference. Van Sickle is a two-time UAAP MVP. Based on the FIVB database, Van Sickle is still affiliated with USA Volleyball but is already in the process of transferring her sporting nationality to the Philippines.
Leila Cruz was one of the two reserve players in the 2025 AVC Women’s Volleyball Nations Cup. She was part of the De La Salle University Lady Spikers that won the championship in UAAP Season 85.
Blockers: Gagate, Madayag, Palomata, Phillips, Provido, Sharma
Thea Gagate, Dell Palomata, and Fifi Sharma will be on another tour of duty as middle blockers of Alas Pilipinas. The three shared the playing time in their silver-medal finish in the 2025 AVC Women’s Volleyball Nations Cup.
Maddie Madayag, who last played for the Kurobe AquaFairies in Japanese V.League, will suit up again for the national team after some time. With the Choco Mucho Flying Titans, Madayag won bronze in the 2023 VTV International Women’s Volleyball Cup.
MJ Phillips won Best Middle Blocker awards in the PVL, as well as the Finals MVP when they won the 2024-25 PVL All-Filipino Conference. Like Van Sickle, Phillips is still affiliated with USA Volleyball based on the FIVB database, but already in the process of transferring her sporting nationality to the Philippines.
Amie Provido plays for the De La Salle University Lady Spikers in the UAAP, and was a part of the championship team in Season 85.
Setters: De Guzman, Lamina, Andaya, Alba
Alas Pilipinas team captain Jia De Guzman will once again lead the team as their main setter. She was recently awarded as the Best Setter in the 2025 AVC Women’s Volleyball Nations Cup.
Lams Lamina was a reserve player of Alas Pilipinas in the recently-concluded Nations Cup. In the collegiate league, she is the steady playmaker of the three-time UAAP champions National University Lady Bulldogs.
Tia Andaya was drafted by the Choco Mucho Flying Titans in the 2025 PVL Draft as the seventh pick. After playing in the United States, Andaya played in Albania and Romania, before coming to the Philippines. Like Van Sickle and Phillips, Andaya is still affiliated with USA Volleyball but is already in the process of transferring her sporting nationality to the Philippines.
Mars Alba is a two-time UAAP best setter awardee who currently plays for the Choco Mucho Flying Titans. Before that, she played for the F2 Logistics Cargo Movers.
Liberos: Catindig, Jazareno
Dawn Catindig will once again be the main libero of Alas Pilipinas, A long-time player for the national team, Catindig was hailed as the 2nd Best Libero in the 2017 Asian Women’s Volleyball Championship.
Sharing the floor with Catindig is Justine Jazareno, who was a vital part of the De La Salle University Lady Spikers that won the championship in the UAAP. Despite taking a maternity break, Jazareno still proved herself in the professional league.
