Joshua Jau Umandal becomes the third Philippine men’s volleyball player in this generation to take his talent overseas as he is headed to Bahrain.
Umandal is set to play for Bani Jamra in the Bahrain League, where Marck Espejo served as import in 2020.
Virtual Playground, his handler, bared the information that the University of Santo Tomas standout became the second Filipino volleyball player to see action in the gulf area.
Umandal flew to Bahrain on Friday morning and will play in the Isa bin Rashid Volleyball League for two months.
The country’s breakout star in the Asian Men’s Club Championship last year in Thailand remained committed to the national team and will rejoin training once it resumes.
Jao Umandal Philippine men's volleyball team
Umandal also bid farewell to University of Santo Tomas before accepting the offer after the 2020 UAAP volleyball season got wiped out by the pandemic.
The 22-year-old was a bench player when the national team earned the historic silver medal in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.
However, Jau Umandal showed and proven his worth that he can lead the charge for the country in the absence of Espejo and Bagunas when he propelled the Philippines’ return in international competition finishing ninth in the AVC Club Championship.
