IT wasn’t just homegrown talents who were given the chance to shoot their shot for a roster spot come the Premier Volleyball League's (PVL) first-ever Rookie Draft.
READ: Coach O urges 'joint league' for UAAP, NCAA, provincial aces
Doors were also opened to Fil-foreign aces worldwide - and two heeded the call and made the cut for the 47-player draft pool.
And it just so happened that both of them come from the same country: Canada.
On July 8, will the Philippines’ lone professional volleyball league be the next stop for one or both of Aleiah Torres and Nathali Ramacula?
Ontario's serial champion
Winning is well-ingrained in the DNA of 22-year-old Torres, who traces her roots to Cavite and Tarlac.
The 5-foot-4 libero, who was also listed as an opposite hitter for the PVL Draft, began playing volleyball at 12 years old before taking her talents to Brock University in Ontario, where she won three Canadian Athletic Association championships.
Her champion-caliber background reflected in her skill tests during the two-day combine wherein she topped the one-minute push-up test (50 repetitions) and modified agility T-test (5.98 seconds), while also finishing third in the standing broad jump (232 cm) and fourth in the shuttle run (14.59 seconds).
In entering the PVL Draft, Torres isn’t expecting too much or too little as she looks to live the dream of playing pro club volleyball in her family's origins.
"I don't really have too many expectations. I just came to have a lots of fun and play really good volleyball. Hopefully, I can contribute to whatever team I get drafted to and just experience everything that the Philippines has to offer,” she said.
“It's really exciting. I'm looking forward to showing my skills. (I’m) a little bit nervous, but hopefully, I'll have lots of fun and I can just show my athleticism."
In Torres' eyes, what she can bring to the table for whichever PVL team opts to draft her boils down to three things: high volleyball IQ, good leadership, and pure speed.
"I think as a libero, I can read the game really well especially from the back row; playing defense and seeing what my teammates should be doing up the net,” she shared.
“I think I really have high IQ on the court, good leadership, and I think I'm really fast, so I like to chase down some balls."
Almost-Lady Red Warrior
For her part, Ramacula joining the PVL is a second shot Philippine volleyball after her aborted debut at the age of 15.
Ramacula, who applied to the draft as either libero or setter, was already poised to suit up for University of the East in the UAAP after completing her residency year in 2015.
Personal matters, however, forced her to return to Canada, where she then played in Winnipeg’s V-League for four seasons from 2017 to 2019 then 2023 to 2024.
But from being recruited in fifth grade by Petro Gazz ace setter Chie Saet to having her eventual college career in Red River College Polytechnic cut short by the pandemic, the 5-foot Fil-Canadian is out to turn fate back in her favor.
“I applied because this is my dream. My big dream kasi since bata pa po ako, ito na po or ‘yung UAAP, so I’m really thankful po,” she said.
Despite her small stature, Ramacula emerged as a head-turner in the combine after reaching the fourth-best height in the standing vertical jump (62.81 cm), while finishing third in the modified agility T-test (6.27 seconds) and fifth in the 60-meter shuttle run (14.72 seconds).
All these impressive numbers came to be despite Ramacula being jet-lagged from her flight to Manila for the pre-draft activities and draft proper.
“(The PVL Draft) is really important po and hopefully, I did my best kasi I’m a bit jet-lagged,” she bared.
“Kakarating ko lang din po, so I’m still adjusting sa time. I’m hoping na I did my best as a libero. I had the opportunity to play again in the Philippines, so it was great po na I’m back here.”
Torres and Ramacula will soon learn their fates in the 2024 PVL Rookie Draft on July 8 at the Novotel Manila Araneta City in Quezon City.
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