With fresh contract, Alas coach De Brito looks to sustain AVC Challenge Cup momentum

MANILA, Philippines — Jorge De Brito is set to renew his contract as head coach of the Alas Pilipinas women’s team, with his signing with the PNVF looming on Tuesday afternoon.

After leading Alas Pilipinas to the bronze medal in the recently concluded AVC Challenge Cup held in Manila last month, the Brazilian coach is eager to build on the momentum of the country’s first-ever podium finish in the pocket tournament.

“Well, I can tell you that I am very, very happy because I worked for three years here and our goal is always to win,” De Brito told the media during an intimate lunch on Tuesday morning. 

“But that’s a process that you have to go through and when you get these goals, of course you’ll be happy. I’m very proud of the players who did that, who helped us as a coaching staff to achieve this.”

Success was a long time coming for De Brito, who first came in mid-pandemic to coach the national team in 2021.

But even with a hastily formed group, who was only able to train together for a couple of days before the Challenge Cup, De Brito was finally able to clinch the elusive breakthrough with the team.

Now with morale high, De Brito looks forward to the chance to reach more milestones.

“I’m really [happy] because I will be handling them again for the next (tournaments). I’m sure we are really, really close to getting better. I’m very happy,” he said.

The team also recently came from South Korea for a friendly against a Korean club team.

There, De Brito said, he felt the players’ willingness to continue what they started and hopefully come up with more results for a win-hungry Philippine volleyball community.

“They want much more, to keep that winning feeling when they’re inside… All the time, they’re excited to play and it's always good because it’s international exposure,” he said.

The trip to Korea was a build-up for Alas Pilipinas as they get ready for the AVC Challenger Cup next month, where they are on a collision course with regional powerhouse and AVC Challenge Cup champion Vietnam.