Dapol happy to make a point for Chery Tiggo–and for the NCAA

Scan through any list of most popular volleyball players on the internet and one thing common among most of them is that the names belong to stars who started their career in the UAAP.

In the PVL, a bulk of the talents come from the country’s most glamorous varsity tournament.

And Mary Rhose Dapol, who had a decorated collegiate career with Perpetual Help in the NCAA, is glad to make a point for the oldest collegiate league in the country.

“It matters a lot to me that the PVL is not just looking at UAAP players anymore,” Dapol told the Inquirer last Saturday.

“They’re now also looking at NCAA players and the skills that each of them has.”

NCAA picks

This year’s trailblazing PVL Rookie Draft had its share of NCAA picks.

Arellano middle blocker Lorraine Pecaña emerged as the No. 11 overall pick as she was drafted by Choco Mucho. Pecaña is joined in the league by former teammates Donnalyn

Paralejas and Dodee Batindaan, who were drafted by Petro Gazz and Galeries Tower, respectively.

Perpetual’s Razel Aldea, meanwhile, jumped on board with Nxled.

Though not part of the rookie pool, Cloanne Mondoñedo, rejoined ZUS Coffee after leading St. Benilde to the NCAA women’s crown and will be teaming up with her Lady Blazers’ teammates Gayle Pascual, Michelle Gamit and Jade Gentapa.

Dapol is starring for her new team, Chery Tiggo, in the 2024 Reinforced Conference. In her first match donning the Crossovers jersey, Dapol immediately impressed as she delivered eight points against Farm Fresh. She led all local players from Chery Tiggo in scoring.

Repaying trust

And while she only saw limited action against Nxled, the former NCAA MVP managed three points in a single set played.

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Dapol said she is happy to be back in the PVL after briefly suiting up for the now-defunct Foton Tornadoes during the All-Filipino Conference last year.

“I didn’t have a hard time adjusting because some of my teammates from Foton are also with me in Chery,” she said. “So far, the bonding during training has been good.”

After being given the opportunity to play—and even start—in the professional ranks, Dapol now hopes to repay the trust of her coaches in whatever way she can.

“Of course, my morale went up because Coach KungFu (Reyes) showed so much trust in me. I’ll just give my best for the team to help out as well,” she said.

“My hope is to contribute to my team by improving on whatever role I’ll have on the court.”