Local West Australian volleyball coach, Pauline Manser, is prepared to lead the Australian Women’s Volleyball team to victory over the next few weeks as they embark on a 3 week tour of Asia to compete in the World Women’s Volleyball Qualifiers in Japan and the Asian Seniors Women’s Championships in Thailand.

“The team has been preparing for this for the past two years” said Pauline. “We’ve got the best team, had the most preparation and have the most experienced athletes ready. Although we are up against some stiff competition, our team spirit and national pride could be the very thing that helps us to win”.

Three players from WA, Jen Day, Sophie Godfrey and Tara West, have been also selected as athletes for the Australian team, two of which are in the starting six.

The 17th Asian Seniors Women’s Championships will be held from 13th-21st September in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand. The team’s schedule is as follows:

Friday 13th September 11:00 Australia vs Mongolia

Saturday 14th September 14:00 Australia vs Thailand

Sunday 15th September 11:00 Australia vs Kazakhstan.

Ahead of the Asian meet, the Australian squad will also test their skills against hosts Japan, Vietnam, Thailand and Taipei in the FIVB World Women’s Volleyball Championship Qualification Asian Zone Pool A at Park Arena in Komaki, Nagoya, Japan from 4th- 8th September 2013.

The round-robin event will determine the top two teams to compete in the 24-team World Championship in Italy next year. The Pool B matches will be held in China later in September, with other five teams including China, South Korea and Kazakhstan vying for the remaining two places.

The team’s schedule will be as follows:

Wednesday 4th September 16:00 Australia vs Thailand

Thursday 5th September 14:30 Australia vs Taipei

Friday 6th September 19:00 Australia vs Vietnam

Saturday 7th September 19:20 Australia vs Japan.

We wish the entire team our best wishes for their upcoming competitions.