PLDT will temporarily release Dell Palomata as she pursues a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play overseas in Indonesia next year.
The 6-foot-3 middle blocker is set to join the Medan Falcons in the country’s Proliga for the 2026 season, which kicks off this January.
She will become the first Filipina player to take her act to the Indonesian top-flight women's volleyball league.
READ: PLDT completes PVL Reinforced semis cast by eliminating Cignal
At 30, the Aklan native becomes part of an exclusive group of Filipino players who have competed abroad, joining the ranks of national team stars Jia de Guzman and Alyssa Solomon, along with PVL standouts Alyssa Valdez, Mylene Paat, Dindin Manabat, Jaja Santiago, Ced Domingo, MJ Phillips, Maddie Madayag and Iris Tolenada.
But Palomata’s time with PLDT is far from over just yet.
She is expected to return to the team in late 2026 once her one-season stint in Indonesia wraps around May.
“One conference lang [si Dell sa Indonesia] then [she will] rejoin PLDT,” High Speed Hitters team official Bajjie del Rosario told SPIN.ph.
The PLDT management stressed their full support for Palomata’s upcoming overseas stint, noting how rare such an opportunity is for a Filipino volleyball player.
“She will return after her Indonesia stint,” del Rosario added.
“Full support ang PLDT sa kanya since minsan lang dumating ganitong pagkakataon sa isang volleyball player.”
Palomata, hailed as the best middle blocker in the 2025 AVC Women’s Nations Cup, is first expected to help PLDT chase the Reinforced Conference title before joining Alas Pilipinas for the 33rd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in December. She will then head straight to Indonesia for her international club debut.
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