PLDT Home Fibr unveiled three more additions to their roster for the upcoming 2022 Premier Volleyball League season
Headlining the latest recruits of the High Speed Hitters is former Shakey’s V-League Best Setter Wendy Semana.
She is also joined by former Cignal spiker Fiola Ceballos and ex-University of the East Lhara Clavano.
Ceballos is a 26-year-old outside hitter who stands at 5-foot-7 and hails from Iloilo while Clavano is a 22-year-old playmaker from Tanauan, Batangas. The latter had to forego her final year in UE to turn pro.
For the 35-year-old Semana, she is just glad to have been given the opportunity to play in the pro league by new PLDT head coach George Pascua.
“Na-miss ko kasi maglaro and then ininvite ako ni Coach George na mag-tryout,” said the setter from the Philippine Air Force, who missed the 2021 Open Conference but suited up for Perlas in the inaugural PNVF Champions League tournament late last year. “Nag-try ako at hayun, nabigyan ako ng chance.
“May halong kaba, kasi napakalayo na ng volleyball noon sa ngayon. Marami na ring malalaki at magagaling na players kaya magiging malaking challenge sa akin na ito,” she added as this will be her first stint in the PVL since it turned pro a year ago.
Semana will be playing alongside another decorated setter in Rhea Dimaculangan in PLDT.
And it’s a long time coming for Semana as the last time she played alongside Dimaculangan was back in 2015 when the latter was still an enlisted Air Force personnel.
“Nakasama ko na si Rhea before sa Air Force,” recalled Semana as they were able to steer Air Force to a runner-up finish in the 2014 Philippine Superliga All-Filipino Conference. “Kaya masaya ako dahil matagal na kaming hindi nagkasama muli. Ito na ‘yung chance namin.”
Ever since she played in the SVL — which later on became the PVL, a championship has eluded Semana with the closestshe ever got to winning a crown was back in the 2016 Open Conference.
With a crack lineup, Semana is hoping that this will be it.
“Sa ngayon, bagong players kaming lahat sa PLDT pero buto beterano,” said the Far Eastern University product. “May chance na maging contender kami pero nasa sa amin pa rin itong mga players kung paano kami makakapag-adjust sa system ni Coach George.”
Semana, Ceballos, and Clavano join Kath Arado, Jessey De Leon, Mean Mendrez, Dell Palomata, and Jovie Prado as the new signings of PLDT so far. Dimaculangan, Chin Basas, Eli Soyud, and Nieza Viray are the team’s holdovers from last season.