PVL stars go undrafted in Korea
FILE– Creamline Cool Smashers’ Tots Carlos. –PVL PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines —PVL stars Tots Carlos, Mylene Paat, and MJ Phillips went undrafted in the 2024 Korean Volleyball (KOVO) Women’s Asian Quota Draft on Wednesday at Jeju Sun Hotel in South Korea.
Carlos and Paat, who attended the two-day tryouts, weren’t fortunate to be selected by the Korean clubs along with Philips, who had already played in the Korean V-League last season.
It was the Creamline’s star first tryout in South Korea, while the Chery Tiggo veteran was undrafted for the second straight season, although Paat had said she wasn’t expecting to be drafted but looking forward to the learnings she would get from the 33 other aspirants.
READ: De Brito says Tots Carlos, Canino good enough to play overseas
PVL players Tots Carlos and Mylene Paat were among the attendees of the Korean V-League tryouts. –KOVO PHOTOO
Phillips, the lone Filipino women’s player to be drafted last season, was left without a team after her original team Gwangju AI Peppers selected Chinese middle blocker Yu Zhang as the first overall pick.
She was exempted from attending the tryouts as she already played one season in the league.
In Phillips’ first stint in South Korea, Gwangju placed seventh with a 5-31 record but the Filipino-American middle blocker learned a lot from the league.
READ: PVL: Playing without Tots Carlos no excuse for Creamline loss
Hwaseong IBK Altos drafted Chinese setter Xintong Chen as the No.2 pick. Gimcheon Hi-pass selected Cuban outside spiker Yunieska Batista. Incheon Heungkuk Pink Spiders tapped Ruilei Huang. Suwon Hyundai Hillstate picked Thai star Wipawee Srithong. Daejeon Red Sparks got Megawati Pertiwi of Indonesia, while GS Caltex Seoul KIXX added Aussie Stefanie Weiler to its roster.
The three PVL players will now focus on their respective All-Filipino Conference semifinal campaigns with Phillips helping Petro Gazz jumpstart its campaign with a four-set win over Chery Tiggo sans Paat, while Creamline missed the presence of Carlos after absoribing a five-set meltdown to Choco Mucho.
The arrival of Paat and Carlos on Thursday’s semis games remains up in the air as Creamline battles Petro Gazz, while Chery Tiggo seeks to bounce back against Choco Mucho at Philsports Arena.
