Alohi Robins-Hardy signing faces scrutiny in PVL meeting

FILE–Alohi Robins-Hardy is set to make her Philippine volleyball return with the Farm Fresh Foxies in the PVL. –INQUIRER PHOTO

Trades, transfers, noncompete clauses and free agency.

The Premier Volleyball League is set to tackle those issues in a team managers’ meeting that sources said could be touchy, especially with the league expected to rule on Alohi Robins-Hardy’s status as a free agent.

The 28-year-old Robins-Hardy has been announced as the newest signee of Farm Fresh, but league officials are expected to rule in favor of a technicality raised by two other PVL squads, sources told the Inquirer on Wednesday.

READ: PVL: Alohi Robins-Hardy set for PH return, joins Farm Fresh

“We asked the league for a clarification because, according to the rules, players who have played for other leagues but not in the PVL have to go through the draft,” a team source said.

It was the same concern raised by another PVL squad.

According to PVL rules, players who have to go through the draft include “all female volleyball players, who previously played collegiately, overseas, or in other leagues, but have never played in the PVL since the league’s status became professional back in 2021.”

Farm Fresh offloaded some of its talent to sister team ZUS Coffee, as Kate Santiago, Chinnie Arroyo and Joan Narit joined the media day of the Thunderbelles on Sunday even as no official announcement on the transfer was made just yet.

READ: No trades between PVL sister teams under new rules—Palou

A source, however, told the Inquirer that the contract of the three standouts had already expired and that their jump from one squad owned by Frank Lao to the well-known businessman’s other club can be seen as more of a transfer.

The Inquirer reached out to Ricky Palou, who said he will address the issues during the team manager’s meeting.

He did, however, say that the PVL is set to strengthen rules on trades between sister teams and free agency.

“We have to look at both the players’ side and that of the teams,” Palou told the Inquirer on Wednesday.

READ: Alohi Robins-Hardy won’t play in PVL due to PH passport issue

Palou said he will also discuss the case of Eya Laure with Chery Tiggo.

Laure has been reported as on her way out of the Crossovers but is supposedly barred from playing for other teams because her contract includes a noncompete clause.

“All I understand from that right now is that she has a live contract. So I will sort things out with Chery during our team manager’s meeting, so we can find a solution to everything that will be beneficial both to players and to the teams.”

Other swaps

Earlier this year, former Choco Mucho standouts Bea de Leon and Denden Lazaro-Revilla were sent to sister squad Creamline while, before the Reinforced Conference, Akari and Nxled followed suit with a multiplayer swap that saw Ivy Lacsina, Dani Ravena, Kamille Cal and Cams Victoria join the Chargers, who sent to the Chameleons Trisha Genesis, Bang Pineda and Jaja Maraguinot.

Dindin Santiago-Manabat was initially involved in that multiplayer swap, but opted out of her contract to play for Choco Mucho.

Farm Fresh has also bolstered its roster by acquiring former longtime HD Spiker libero Jheck Dionela while hoping to get the green light on Robins-Hardy, the Filipino-American setter who last played in the country also for Cignal in the defunct Philippine SuperLiga.