NXLED has parted ways with four of its core players as discussions surrounding a potential merger with Petro Gazz continue to gather momentum ahead of the 2026 PVL season.
The Chameleons confirmed the departures of Lycha Ebon, Rachel Jorvina, Jaila Atienza and Maji Mangulabnan, mirroring a similar wave of exits on the Angels’ side this offseason.
SOURCES SAY PVL teams in merger talks
Of the quartet, only Atienza has secured a new home so far, landing at Choco Mucho.
Ebon traces her roots to the league’s early pro years, having been part of Akari’s original Chargers lineup when the club debuted in the 2022 PVL Reinforced Conference.
The former Far Eastern University outside hitter transferred to sister team Nxled a year later, where she spent the last two seasons.
Another pioneering figure, Fil-Canadian libero Jorvina, was also a member of Akari’s first Chargers squad before becoming one of the original seven players of Nxled when the second PVL team under the Akari banner was launched for the 2023 Second All-Filipino Conference.
She was among the earliest Fil-foreign players to establish herself as a PVL mainstay, predating the rise of fellow Fil-Canadian and Fil-American MVPs such as Savi Davison, Brooke Van Sickle and MJ Phillips.
Setter Mangulabnan and libero Atienza followed parallel paths into the Akari stable.
Both were former Foton standouts before joining Nxled in 2023, and both have now moved on as the team opens the door to 2026 with a reshaped roster.
With several PVL teams deep into aggressive rebuilds, Nxled’s continued roster trimming fuels speculation as SPIN.ph first hinted that significant space is being cleared to accommodate a potential integration of Petro Gazz’s core with the Chameleons’ top talents.
While league approval for any such plans has yet to be confirmed, clarity is expected in the coming weeks as the 2026 All-Filipino Conference approaches its late-January kickoff.
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