Philippine Women's Volleyball Team Fires Coach After SEA Games 33 Defeat

The Philippine national women's volleyball team extended their nearly 20-year medal drought at the SEA Games.

The Philippine women's volleyball team will part ways with coach Jorge De Brito following a disappointing campaign at SEA Games 33 in Thailand.

At this year’s Games, the Philippines was expected to contend for medals against Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia; coach Jorge De Brito even declared the team aimed for the gold medal. Alas Pilipinas had overseas training and brought top players such as Alyssa Solomon, Angel Canino, and Julia De Guzman to the SEA Games.

However, the team's performance fell short of expectations. Solomon and her teammates won only one match against Singapore, losing three matches to Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia. Notably, the loss to the "Archipelago Nation" in the bronze medal match was the final straw—continuing the Philippine women's volleyball team's nearly 20-year medal drought at the SEA Games.

The last time Alas Pilipinas won a medal at the Games was in 2005 on home soil in Bacolod.

Finishing 4th at SEA Games 2025 was a surprising result, as throughout the year’s competitions—the AVC Nations Cup and two legs of the SEA V.League—the team performed strongly and consistently appeared superior to a declining Indonesian squad.

Jorge De Brito, 59, has coached the Philippine national team since 2023. He began his coaching career as an assistant with renowned clubs such as Osasco (Brazil), Panasonic Panthers (Japan), and VakifBank (Turkey) before achieving success as a head coach for clubs in the Philippines.

As a player, De Brito was a former middle blocker for Brazil’s national team, winning Olympic gold at Barcelona 1992 with the "Samba Nation."

His contract with the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) includes an extension option, but according to leading local media, PNVF will not activate it and plans to find a new coach for the 2026 season.

The PNVF is targeting Anusorn "Tai" Bundit, a Thai coach familiar to Philippine volleyball. Coach Tai previously led the Philippine team to a bronze medal at the 2016 Southeast Asian University Games and has coached local clubs such as Creamline Cool Smashers and Criss Cross King Crunchers.