Balse returns to action, set to suit up for Creamline

FILE — Mary Jean Balse of Army. INQUIRER PHOTO/AUGUST DELA CRUZ

An iconic figure is returning to the volleyball landscape as Mary Jean Balse-Pabayo is set to make her comeback with Creamline in the Premier Volleyball League.

PVL President Ricky Palou said in SportsIQ, the Inquirer’s omni-platform sports talk show, that Balse-Pabayo will be suiting up for the Cool Smashers for the Open Conference, which opens Saturday.

And despite not playing for almost two years, Palou said Balse-Pabayo is still a powerful presence in front of the net.

“I watched her practice and she’s still good,” said Palou. “She’s still in shape and I think she’d be a major factor for the Creamline team.”

Joining Balse-Pabayo is former Army teammate Angela Nunag as they team up with Alyssa Valdez, the league’s most decorated local, and setter Jia Morado.

Balse-Pabayo, who is arguably the first superstar of the PVL, which started as Shakey’s V-League, is just behind Valdez for the most number of individual awards.

Valdez has racked up 11 individual accolades in her PVL career while Balse-Pabayo is at second with nine.

Palou said he’s grateful to Balse-Pabayo, who was V-League’s main draw during its early seasons.

“When she started playing in the V-League she was really a big factor because she had a lot of fans and she was one of the best players we had that time,” said Palou. “We’re really happy she’s coming back.”