Mother teams decide Alas callups

MANILA, Philippines — The Premier Volleyball League is willing to loan its stars to the national team for the Asian Games, but PVL president Ricky Palou said the final call rests with the players’ mother clubs.

“The ball is now in the court of the Premier Volleyball League mother clubs,” Palou told The STAR, after the Philippine Olympic Committee named 21 players to the Alas women’s pool for the September Asian Games in Aichi, Japan.

“If the teams release their players to the NT, we don’t have any problems with that,” Palou said. “Of course, we really would like the teams to release their players to the NT.”

The POC pool is led by PVL standouts Bella Belen, Vanie Gandler and Erika Santos of Capital1, Eya Laure and Dawn Catindig of Choco Mucho, and Thea Gagate of ZUS Coffee. Also named were Alleiah Malaluan and Dell Palomata of PLDT, Gel Cayuna of Nxled, Justine Jazareno, Mars Alba and Fifi Sharma of Akari, and Jen Nierva, Pangs Panaga and Jia de Guzman of Creamline. The rest are from the collegiate ranks.

Palou noted the league has accommodated national team requests in the past. For the AVC Women’s Cup in Candon, Ilocos Sur earlier this month, the PVL cleared several players.