PETROGAZZ libero Cienne Cruz hopes to inspire young Fil-Am talents as the volleyball showcase presented by Fil-Am Nation Select came to a close yesterday at the Ignite Volleyball Club facility in Chino, California.
A 2018 Premier Volleyball League Open Conference Best Libero awardee for the Angels, Cruz served as a guest speaker in the final day of the two-day event which attracted a total of 30 female and male players, including a couple of 6-foot-3 athletes, from Southern California, Arizona, and Las Vegas.
Together with her twin sister and PetroGazz team manager Camille, the former La Salle spikers have contacted by the Fil-Am Nation Select founder Cris Gopez not only to support the program’s volleyball invitationals but also discover new talents.
“Cienne came about with me and her sister Camille connecting through Instagram- she was a big fan of what (Gilas Pilipinas women’s basketball) coach Pat Aquino has done to recruit from the platform and she wants to seek talent,” said Gopez.
Veteran setter Iris Tolenada, who was named Fil-Am Nation Select’s national director of volleyball last February, gave an inspirational talk via Zoom in the first day.
A sports organization organized to provide a platform for US-based sports talents, Fil-Am Nation Select will also be holding tryouts in Chicago and Hawaii later this year.
Gopez also bared that the program is also on the lookout for other US-based Filipino talents in football, tennis and golf.
