CHICAGO -- It looks like NXLED will no longer be pushovers in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL).
Per reliable sources, the Chameleons are trying to blend in free agents Ces Molina and Riri Meneses in their line-up by luring both with lucrative offers that are in the high six figures.
The potential migration is not only poised to make NXLED's future brighter, it will tilt the balance of power in the country's most exciting volleyball league.
Molina, 31, is an imposing 5-foot-11 outside hitter who grew her spurs at San Beda. The pride of Nueva Ecija, she was a PSL All-Star before taking her act to the PVL where he was crowned the Best Outside Spiker in the 2022 Open Conference.
The 29-year old Meneses, meanwhile, is a former UST Tiger who towered above the competition as the PVL's Best Middle Blocker in the 2021 Open Conference.
Obviously, M and M's former mother team -- Cignal HD Spikers -- are not taking the potential departures lightly and had suggested suing the pair for "material breach of player contracts."
READ: Cignal mulling legal action over Molina, Meneses 'breach of contract'
SUE YOU LATER MY FRIENDS?
I think that threat is a harmless saber-rattling with no legal ground to stand on. If Cignal continues with this war path, it would only look like a petty, jilted lover who couldn't let go after a three-year relationship.
PVL president Ricky Palou told me in a recent telephone interview that free agents such as Molina and Meneses are free to sign elsewhere. The only wrinkle is that they can't play in this ongoing conference since they have been rostered in the HD Spikers' line-up.
In the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), teams can keep the rights of a free agent player as long as a formal offer has been tendered. Absent a UPC, the PVL doesn't have the same contractual dynamics.
Part of Cignal's beef is the inability to reach Molina and Meneses "since October" as the team attempted to initiate "renewal talks."
As they say, you can't find people who don't want to be found. Maybe that's the case here, maybe there's a loss of affection and these two sweet, hard-hitting gals just want to play elsewhere. You can't be mad at them for that.
Teams cut, often unceremoniously, players they no longer want. Players should be able to do the same, too, and leave when their contracts expire.
It's not rocket science, just fairness and common sense.
UE WOES.
The exodus of UE women's volleyball players led by Casiey Dongallo was so preventable.
One of the issues the ladies were really upset about, I am told, was that UE allegedly did not provide ice and water during practices. Which is sad because hydration is essential when engaging in sports activities.
But the core of the problem apparently is a lack of budget, or the school's unwillingness to spend.
It's the same at the men's basketball program which, sources told, only has a monthly P500,000 budget, which is pocket change compared to the top schools.
Happy athletes, happy life, right?
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