is a Filipino-Japanese volleyball player who is currently living in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

and playing in the

University Athletic Association of the Philippines The University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), established in 1938, is an athletic association of eight Metro Manila universities in the Philippines. The eight-member schools are Adamson University (AdU), Ateneo de Manila Univers ...

for the NU Lady Bulldogs and in the

Premier Volleyball League The Premier Volleyball League (PVL) is a women's professional volleyball league in the Philippines organized by Sports Vision Management Group, Inc. The league began in 2004 as the Shakey's V-League, a women's collegiate league. Since 2011, the ...

for the Creamline Cool Smashers.

Early life

Risa Sato was born on October 4, 1994 in

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...

, Japan where she also spent her childhood. Her mother is Filipino while her father is Japanese. Sato played volleyball at school in Japan. She left Japan at age 19 along with her mother to pursue her dream to play in the Philippines.

Career

Sato was brought to the Philippines in 2013 to play for the collegiate varsity team of the

Ateneo de Manila University , mottoeng = Light in the Lord , type = Private, research, non-profit, coeducational basic and higher education institution , established = December 10, 1859 , religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic ( Jesuits) , academic ...

Roger Gorayeb Roger Gorayeb is a Filipino volleyball coach and former college player. He is noted for being a multi-titled and longtime coach of the San Sebastian College – Recoletos de Manila women's team of the NCAA. Career Gorayeb has served as head co ...

, who was then coach of the university. She played for Ateneo as a guest player in the

Shakey's V-League The Premier Volleyball League (PVL) is a women's professional volleyball league in the Philippines organized by Sports Vision Management Group, Inc. The league began in 2004 as the Shakey's V-League, a women's collegiate league. Since 2011, th ...

. However she failed to get admitted to Ateneo due to failing the entrance examinations which was written in English. In August 2015, she underwent try-outs to play for the National University which by that time was already being mentored by Gorayeb. By July 2017 she was already playing for the National University where she is a second year college student pursuing a degree in sports and wellness management. By the same time she was already playing for the

BaliPure Purest Water Defenders The BaliPure Purest Water Defenders are a professional volleyball club sponsored by Balibago Waterworks System, Inc. playing in the Premier Volleyball League (formerly, Shakey's V-League). The team debuted in the league's 13th Season Open Confere ...

of the

. She won the Premier Volleyball League 1st Season Collegiate Conference championship with NU Lady Bulldogs. During her collegiate career, she won the following individual awards: 1st best middle blocker (2017 PVL reinforced conference), 2nd best middle blocker (2017 PVL open conference), 2nd best middle blocker (2017 PVL collegiate conference)

National team

Sato made her international debut playing for the Philippine youth national team at the

2015 Asian Women's U23 Volleyball Championship The 2015 Asian Women's U23 Volleyball Championship was held on 1 to 9 May 2015 in Pasig, Philippines. It was the inaugural edition of the tournament. The tournament served as the Asian qualifiers for the 2015 FIVB Volleyball Women's U23 World Cha ...

which was hosted in

Pasig Pasig, officially the City of Pasig ( fil, Lungsod ng Pasig), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 803,159 people. It is located along t ...

. She was also part of the senior team squad that played in the 2015 VTV International Women's Volleyball Cup, an invitational tournament held in

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

Personal life

By July 2017, Sato's mother who came with her when she moved to the Philippines had long returned to Osaka to join her dad. One of her sisters is also studying in the Philippines and she is occasionally visited by her cousins from Laguna.

Clubs

(2016–2017) *

Creamline Cool Smashers The Creamline Cool Smashers is a professional women's volleyball team playing in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL). The team is owned by the Republic Biscuit Corporation and named after its Creamline Dairy brand. History The team debuted du ...

(2018-present)

Awards

Individuals

*'' 2017 Premier Volleyball League 1st Season Reinforced Open Conference "1st Best Middle Blocker"'' *'' 2017 Premier Volleyball League 1st Season Open Conference "2nd Best Middle Blocker"'' *'' 2017 Premier Volleyball League 1st Season Collegiate Conference "2nd Best Middle Blocker"''

Collegiate

* Shakey's V-League 12th Season Collegiate Conference - Silver medal, with

Ateneo Lady Eagles The Ateneo Blue Eagles are the collegiate varsity teams of the Ateneo de Manila University that play in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), the premiere collegiate league in the Philippines. The collegiate women's v ...

Shakey's V-League 13th Season Collegiate Conference The Shakey's V-League 13th Season Collegiate Conference is the 26th conference of the Shakey's V-League and the second conference for its 13th season. The conference was started on July 30, 2016 at the Ynares Sports Arena with the first two games ...

- Champion, with NU Lady Bulldogs * UAAP Season 77 Women's volleyball tournament Bronze medal, with NU Lady Bulldogs * Premier Volleyball League 1st Season Collegiate Conference - Champion, with NU Lady Bulldogs

Clubs

* 2017 Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference – Runner-up, with BaliPure Purest Water Defenders * 2017 Premier Volleyball League Open Conference – Champion, with BaliPure Purest Water Defenders *

2018 Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference The 2018 Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference was the fourth conference of the Premier Volleyball League (31st conference of the former Shakey's V-League). Conference will start on April 27, 2018 with a Grand Fans Day at the Trinoma ...

– Champion, with Creamline Cool Smashers *

2018 Premier Volleyball League Open Conference The 2018 Premier Volleyball League Open Conference is the sixth conference of the Premier Volleyball League (''33rd conference of the former Shakey's V-League''). The conference started on September 22, 2018 at the Filoil Flying V Centre, San J ...

– Champion, with Creamline Cool Smashers *

2019 Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference The 2019 Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference was the seventh conference of the Premier Volleyball League (34th conference of the former ''Shakey's V-League''). Conference started on May 26, 2019. Grand Fans Day was held at the Trino ...

– Silver Medal, with Creamline Cool Smashers *

2019 Premier Volleyball League Open Conference The 2019 Premier Volleyball League Open Conference is the eight conference of the Premier Volleyball League (''35th conference of the former Shakey's V-League''). The conference started on August 11, 2019 and ended on November 9, 2019 at the Fil ...

– Champions, with Creamline Cool Smashers *

2021 Premier Volleyball League Open Conference The 2021 Premier Volleyball League Open Conference was the tenth conference of the Premier Volleyball League (''37th conference of the former Shakey's V-League'') and its first conference as a professional league. The conference started on July ...

– Silver Medal, with Creamline Cool Smashers *

2022 Premier Volleyball League Open Conference The 2022 Premier Volleyball League Open Conference was the eleventh conference of the Premier Volleyball League (''38th conference of the former Shakey's V-League conference results, Shakey's V-League'') and its second conference as a profession ...

– Champions, with Creamline Cool Smashers *

2022 Premier Volleyball League Invitational Conference The 2022 Premier Volleyball League Invitational Conference was the twelfth conference of the Premier Volleyball League (''39th conference of the former Shakey's V-League'') and its third conference as a professional league. The tournament began ...

– Champions, with Creamline Cool Smashers * 2022 Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference - Bronze medal, with Creamline Cool Smashers

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sato, Risa Filipino people of Japanese descent Japanese people of Filipino descent 1994 births Middle blockers Sportspeople from Osaka National University (Philippines) alumni University Athletic Association of the Philippines volleyball players Living people Philippines women's international volleyball players Filipino women's volleyball players