Kat Tolentino, Jasmine Nabor and other PVL stars who could get national team invites

Lucky for the Philippine national women's volleyball team that the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Asian Senior Women's Volleyball Championship has been rescheduled for October, allowing more time for Brazilian coaching consultant Jorge Edson Souza de Brito and head coach Odjie Mamon to take an even better look at pool members and perhaps add even more candidates.

With the 2021 PVL Open Conference having come to a successful end last Friday, some of the country's Taraflex stalwarts are now set to join the national team's training bubble in Batangas where coaches Jorge and Odjie and the rest of the pool have relocated since July.

Presently, the players in the training camp in Batangas include veteran campaigners Aby Maraño and Majoy Baron of F2 Logistics along with collegians Eya Laure, Imee Hernandez, and Bernadette Pepito of UST; Jen Nierva, Ivy Lacsina, Michaela Belen, and Kamille Cal of National U; and Faith Nisperos of Ateneo. National U's Alyssa Solomon, meanwhile, recently pulled out due to injury.

Cargo Movers Kim Fajardo, Kim Kianna Dy, Ara Galang, Dawn Macandili, and Tin Tiamzon, initially not named to the pool, are also in the training camp, based on their own, as well as their teammates', social media posts. Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) national team commission chairperson Tonyboy Liao has confirmed their inclusion, according to Ivan Suing of The Daily Tribune.

Coach Jorge has been watching PVL games since arriving in the Philippines last July 22 and has been in contact with the PNVF on who else he's been keeping an eye on.

What's sure to happen is that fresh off winning the championship, Chery Tiggo's Dindin Santiago-Manabat, who poured in 32 points in the clincher, and Mylene Paat will be rejoining the pool together with Petro Gazz's Best Middle Blocker Ria Meneses and Sta. Lucia's Dell Palomata and PLDT Home Fibr's Rhea Dimaculangan.

Lady Realtor MJ Philips has also been tapped, per the Tribune report. Crossover star and newly-minted MVP Jaja Santiago, on the other hand, will first have to fulfill her commitments with Ageo Medics in Japan before being available.

Meanwhile, F2's Kalei Mau has finally been given the green light to play for the Philippines, so we might also see the 6-foot-2 outside spiker joining the fray right after her stint in Puerto Rico, while Alyssa Valdez, Jia Morado, and Kath Arado would also be good choices to be invited.

Still, some other PVL aces may have boosted their stock due to their splendid play in Ilocos Norte. While not necessarily on the national team's "wish list," these volleybelles may have just put their names in the mix as potential dark horses.

1. Kat Tolentino - Choco Mucho (Opposite Hitter)

She was involved in a vicious race for Best Opposite Hitter and came away edging Santiago-Manabat for the award. Tolentino is 6-foot-1, with insane offensive skills (especially from the back row) and more than decent defensive chops. The 26-year-old product of Ateneo finished in the top five in five categories in the league and can very well develop into an all-around talent who can give a different dimension to the Philippine squad for the AVC.

2. Jasmine Nabor - Chery Tiggo (Setter)

With Fajardo and Morado's status still unclear, the 22-year-old former National U playmaker has more than proven herself in the PVL - especially in the playoffs when she became the full-time starter for the Crossovers. Despite her youth, Nabor has had vast experience playing for PLDT Home Fibr in the Philippine Superliga (PSL) and being the main orchestrator for the Santiago sisters en route to the title. The 5-foot-8 setter is still eligible to play for the Under-23 squad, but it still remains to be seen if any international activity involving volleyball's youth will happen within the year.

3. Myla Pablo - Petro Gazz (Wing Spiker)

Before Creamline was able to march forward into the final, the Cool Smashers first had to weather "Bagyong Pablo (Typhoon Pablo)." The 5-foot-10 went spike-for-spike with Valdez herself and exploded for 26 points in the Game 1 the Angels almost stole. They succumbed in straight sets in Game 2, but Pablo then averaged 21 markers in the two-game battle for bronze, reminding just about everybody that she owns one of the heaviest hammers in Philippine volleyball.

4. Tots Carlos - Creamline (Wing Spiker)

The ex-UP star is jokingly said to have discovered the Power Pellets stockpile in Ilocos Norte as she initially came off the bench before being installed in the starting six in the playoffs where she destroyed defenses with her ridiculous detonations even from deep. Granted that the 5-foot-8 Carlos may be undersized against wingers from around Asia, she may actually be effective in a reserve role once again as a service specialist, as her back line defense is more than decent while she can also provide an additional arsenal from the backrow. One thing is for certain: Carlos woke everyone up with her incredible performance for the Cool Smashers' title defense aspirations.

5. Cherry Nunag - Perlas Spikers (Middle Blocker)

Here's another six-footer who was only one of two players in her position to lead her team in scoring. The only other player, you ask? Why, it's champion, Finals MVP, and Conference MVP Jaja Santiago. Nunag put a premium on defense and was quite reliable down the middle for Perlas. Her strength and speed surprised many as the Pampanga native continued to improve multiple facets of her game and also added vocal leadership to her list of intangibles. If the national team is looking at developing a solid role player, Nunag may very well be just the right gamble.

Honorable Mentions:

Royse Tubino - Black Mamba-Army (Wing Spiker)

Roselyn Doria - Cignal (Middle Blocker)

Julia Angeles - Balipure (Libero)

With most PVL teams still on vacation, it may still be a while before new names are brought in. But with coach Jorge already intimating to the national team commission that he will like to check out more veterans as the present youngsters can still be developed for youth team duties, it may not be long before a strong PVL presence is once again felt in Batangas.

After all, the PVL has already helped in a huge part of the preparation for the national team: the live competition and maxed out conditioning for many of the possible candidates.