MANILA – University of Santo Tomas Tigers Spikers standout Joshua Umandal has joined the growing list of Filipino volleyball players to take their act overseas.
The national men’s volleyball team mainstay is set to play as an Asian import for the Bani Jamra team in Bahrain’s Isa bin Rashid Volleyball League first division.
Umandal, who departed to Bahrain on Friday morning, has also foregone his final year of eligibility with UST in UAAP men’s volleyball with his decision to play as import.
“Gagawin ko ang lahat ng makakaya ko para maibalik ang tiwalang binigay nila sa Pinoy,” Umandal said in a short statement posted by his talent agency Virtual Playground on Friday.
The 6-foot-2 Umandal will become the second Filipino to play reinforcement for the Bani Jamra team after former Ateneo de Manila University star Marck Espejo.
Espejo had a solid showing for the Bani Jamra team as an Asian import during the 2020 season where he led the squad to four victories in 13 matches.
Umandal is currently the third national men’s volleyball mainstay to play as import overseas aside from Espejo of FC Tokyo and Bryan Bagunas of Oita Miyoshi Weisse Adler, both in Japan V.League.
Umandal was a former reserve for the national men’s volleyball team that finished with a silver medal in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games held in the country.
He, however, made a name for himself in the 2021 AVC Asian Men’s Club Volleyball Championship tournament in Thailand last October as Rebisco-Philippines’ leading scorer.
Prior to his overseas journey, Umandal has played for the PLDT men’s volleyball team in the Spikers’ Turf./PN
