Chemistry not a problem for AVC Asian Club-bound Foton

One of Foton's pair of reinforcements for the AVC Asian Women's Club Championship Lindsay Stalzer is set to arrive in Manila on August 12.

Chemistry will never be a major issue as foreign reinforcements Lindsay Stalzer and Ariel Usher will be arriving at least three weeks before Foton Pilipinas competes in the AVC Asian Women’s Club Championship from Sept. 3 to 11 at the Alonte Sports Center in Binan City in Laguna.

Newly-appointed team manager Jose Mari Angulo said Stalzer will be flying from Denver, Colorado on Aug. 12 while Usher will be arriving from her hometown in Portland, Oregon on Aug. 15, giving them at least three weeks to train with the team for this prestigious and competitive continental battle.

Angulo, who served as Tornadoes’ assistant coach before being promoted to team manager last week, said both Stalzer and Usher vowed to be in great shape after participating in a handful of indoor and outdoor volleyball camps during summer in the United States.

In fact, they are expected to hit the ground running and will join the team in its daily training starting Aug. 16, or as soon as the ongoing Philippine Superliga (PSL) All-Filipino Conference comes to an end on Aug. 14.

“We are in close coordination and both of them are very excited to play for the country in a tournament as prestigious as the AVC Asian club,” said Angulo, Foton’s sports and development director who was part of the coaching staff of Ronald Dulay when De La Salle University claimed the UAAP men’s volleyball title in 2004.

“Both of them are in great shape and there will no honeymoon period. We will buckle down to work as soon as possible and get themselves familiar with the locals.”

Stalzer and Usher will be joining a potent local crew led by Asian tourney veterans Aby Marano of F2 Logistics, Rachel Anne Daquis and Jovelyn Gonzaga of RC Cola-Army and Jen Reyes of Petron as well as mainstays Jaja Santiago, Angeli Araneta, Patty Orendain, Bia General, Ivy Perez, Rhea Dimaculangan, Maika Ortiz, Kara Acevedo, EJ Laure, Cherry Ann Rondina and Carol Cerveza.

The Tornadoes are bunched in Pool A together with Lien Viet Post Bank of Vietnam and Kwai Tsing of Hong Kong.

Other prominent clubs seeing action are Taiwan Power of Chinese Taipei, NEC Red Rockets of Japan, April 25 of North Korea, Bohai Bank of China, Jakarta Electric PLN of Indonesia and reigning champion Bangkok Glass of Thailand, which the PSL All-Star team will also face in the FIVB Women’s Club World Championship at the Mall of Asia Arena from Oct. 18 to 23.

Angulo reiterated that their target remains fixed at capturing a semifinal finish.

“That’s the goal,” he said. “With two premier imports, four seasoned locals and a bunch of young and aggressive players, I think that goal is very doable.”

Source:http://sports.abs-cbn.com/volleyball/news/2016/08/03/chemistry-problem-avc-asian-club-bound-foton-13939