Alyssa Valdez, the country’s most popular volleyball player, has been pulled out of the highly anticipated Clash of Heroes match featuring members of the national pool.
A statement issued Saturday by Creamline, Valdez’s team in the Premier Volleyball League, said the team won’t allow the star spiker to participate in the May 15 match, which serves the last phase of the national tryouts for the Southeast Asian Games.
“The Creamline Cool Smashers are in the middle of a tight tournament schedule in the Premier Volleyball League, where Aly has played in straight game days and has had to do more for the team in light of the continuing delay of the release of the ITCs required for our imports to play. We cannot risk injury to her from overplay,” said the statement attributed to team managers Rolando Delfino and Alan Acero.
Also Saturday, Myla Pablo was barred by her squad, Pocari Sweat, from joining the event, too. Reports are coming in that BaliPure’s Grethcel Soltones also won’t participate in the event.
Despite the pullouts, the Larong Volleyball ng Pilipinas will “push through” with the one-day affair, said LVPI vice president Pete Cayco.
Cayco, who is in Thailand to attend an Asian Volleyball Confederation meeting, refused to comment on whether the issue has anything to do with the sport’s rival leagues.
Creamline, Pocari Sweat and BaliPure are all from the PVL, whose rival, the Pilipinas Superliga, reportedly has closer ties with the national federation of the sport.
However, Creamline’s mother company, Rebisco, is supporting the PSL Manila team to the Asian Women’s Club Championships in Kazakhstan on May 21 to 31.
The Clash Of Heroes, slated at FilOil Flying V Centre, will be part of the basis for the formation of the national team not only to the SEA Games but to Asian Seniors as well.
It is organized by POC-PSC Media Group as a benefit event and backed by Philippine Sports Commission and the LVPI.