Volleyball superstar Alyssa Valdez to carry Philippine flag at SEA Games

Volleyball superstar Alyssa Valdez will be the flag-bearer for Team Philippines at the 2015 Southeast Asian Games.

Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) Vice-President Joey Romasanta confirmed the choice to GMA News Online in a phone interview on Wednesday.

The 21-year-old open spiker, who led Ateneo de Manila University to back-to-back championships in the UAAP, is one of the most popular sports personalities in the country today.

Valdez is the reigning two-time Most Valuable Player in UAAP women's volleyball and enjoys a massive following of the growing volleyball fan base in the Philippines due to her charm and deadly skills on the court.

Valdez is no stranger to playing for the flag, as she represented the country in the Asian Youth Girls Volleyball Championship held in the Philippines in 2008.

She also led the national team to a third place finish in the 2014 FIVB Asian Southeastern Zone Women's Volleyball Qualifier held in Vietnam, and duplicated the feat in the 2014 ASEAN University Games alongside her Ateneo squad.

The women's national volleyball team is joining the SEA Games after missing the past four editions since taking home the bronze in 2005. The team is seeking to end the country's 22-year championship drought since bagging the gold in 1993.

"It sends a strong statement that Philippine volleyball is back in the international platform," said Romasanta about the POC board's decision to give the honor to Valdez. -- JST, GMA News