Barbie dolls up for PVL Draft

MANILA, Philippines — Barbie Jamili opted to forgo her final UAAP year with Adamson for one thing only – get drafted in the Premier Volleyball League.

And the 23-year-old, 5-foot-6 outside hitter showed prospective teams that she’s worthy after standing out in several athletic-testing categories of the recent PVL Draft Combine.

Jamili topped the Pro Agility 5-10-5 test after clocking 5.109 seconds as well as the Hop Test where she had 3.36 m/s and the 10-meter sprint after timing in 1.759 seconds to exhibit that she is does not only possess elite speed and agility but impressive explosiveness as well.

While these tests do not automatically guarantee a player of being drafted, it could at least help one to serve notice that she’s physically ready for the rougher grind in the pros.

And that’s what Jamili is banking on.

Alyssa Solomon, the consensus No. 1 pick on draft night set Wednesday, also excelled having posted the highest vertical reach at 300 cm, besting Nina Ytang of University of the Philippines, who had 297 cm.

Ytang is being projected to land inside the top three.