THE third edition of the Philippine Superliga set to fire off next month promises to be a slam-bang affair with Filipino-foreign recruits set to spice up action and are draw in bigger crowds to the venues.
League president Ramon “Tats” Suzara yesterday bared that Filipino-foreign recruits would take the league by storm and give homegrown players a serious run for their money when the PSL All-Filipino Conference opens on March 21 at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Leading the pack of lovely newcomers are Filipino-Swiss Jennifer Salgado, as well as Filipino-Americans Alexa Micek, Kayla Williams, Maureen Loren and Iris Tolenada, who made her mark as the first San Francisco State University player to win the Most Valuable Player plum in the highly competitive California Collegiate Athletic Association.
They will battle for slots against local players like Angeli Araneta of University of the Philippines, Pam Lastimosa of University of Santo Tomas and Denise Lazaro of Ateneo de Manila, which is in the thick of its campaign in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines.
Also set to join the country’s first and only semi-professional volleyball league are National Collegiate Athletic Association standouts Rica Enclona, Janette Panaga, Janine Navarro and Michelle Segodine, who last saw action for Adamson University in the UAAP.
“Our roster of talent this season is so deep that we have no idea who will emerge as top overall pick,” said Suzara, a ranking executive in the Asian Volleyball Confederation and the International Volleyball Federation.
“But I’m sure all coaches are doing their homework. They are closely scouting their prospects and keeping their eyes on potential stars from outside the country. So, do not be surprised if our third season will better than our first two seasons in terms of competitiveness.”
Coaches and scouts will get a closer look at fresh talents when the league holds its first pre-draft camp on March 6 and 7 either at the Cuneta Astrodome or at the gymnasium of Philippine Navy.
The second PSL Annual Draft is set on March 11 either at SM Aura or at the Glorietta Activity Center.