Alyssa Bertolano leaves UP, bolsters new PVL team Gerflor Defenders

Alyssa Bertolano is now going pro after playing with UP Fighting Maroons for two season. –UAAP PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — University of the Philippines sophomore spiker Alyssa Bertolano has decided to turn pro and forgo her remaining playing years in the UAAP as she joins the Quezon City Gerflor Defenders in the 2023 Premier Volleyball League Invitational Conference.

The Defenders on Wednesday unveiled two more players in Bertolano and fellow opposite spiker Shannen Palec.

The 20-year-old Bertolano only played two seasons for UP. She will no longer play her remaining three years in the UAAP after signing with the new PVL team, which will be handled by coach Edgar Barroga.

Bertolano, a Bacolod Tay Tung High School product, had an impressive rookie year for the Fighting Maroons in Season 84, emerging as the top four best scorer of the league with 197 points and also No.4 in spiking.

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However, Bertolano’s numbers went down this year as she only scored a total of 109 points in Season 85 as UP lost 13 of its 14 games in coach Shaq Delos Santos’ first stint.

Besides Bertolano, Gerflor also tapped Palec, who last played for Choco Mucho.

Another UP standout will turn pro as the new PVL team also posted a clip of middle blocker Ethan Arce celebrating her birthday with the Defenders on Tuesday.

The Quezon City-based club also revealed their liberos Julia Angeles and Pia Sarmiento as well as setters Fhen Emnas and Sarah Verutiao.

Gerflor is one of the three new PVL teams with Farm Fresh and Foton, who will be joining defending champion Creamline, Petro Gazz, F2 Logistics, PLDT, Chery Tiggo, Cignal, Choco Mucho, and Akari.

The Invitationals will separate the 11 teams into two groups with the top two squads advancing to the round-robin semifinals, where a pair of foreign clubs will join the competition.