MANILA, Philippines — Filipino-American setter Alohi Robins-Hardy will not suit up for the Farm Fresh Foxies in the upcoming Premier Volleyball League (PVL) 2024-25 All-Filipino Conference as she needs to qualify first in the league's draft regulations.
Farm Fresh made an announcement about the inclusion of the 6-foot-3 playmaker last Oct. 22, but the PVL board stood firm on its decision that players must undergo the draft proper first.
"She's a good player but because of the regulations that we created earlier this year and all the team knows about it, you have to have played from 2021 until 2024. Suppose you are part of the teams, any of the teams that put you in a lineup during those periods. In that case, you are considered as a veteran player, so you don't have to go through the draft," Sherwin Malonzo, newly minted Control Committee Chairman said during the PVL 2024-25 All-Filipino Conference presser said on Monday, Nov. 4 at the Novotel Hotel in Quezon City. Robins-Hardy first had her stint in the Philippine volleyball scene with Cignal HD Spikers in the 2019 PSL All-Filipino and Invitation Conferences, where she helped to stir the ship to finish silver, and bronze, respectively.
However, to be considered a "veteran" she should have played during the 2021-2024 edition of the PVL, where the league turned professional.
Malonzo shared that there could be two possibilities when it comes to settlement.
"Maybe she was lined up as a coaching staff, I still don't know. She was first announced to 'play,' but she could be a practice player. There was no formal announcement of their plans for her. But if we are talking about putting her in the lineup, we have to go back through the regulations, which is she has to go through the draft," he cleared it out.
Meanwhile, Adamson University standout Lorene Toring is eligible to play since she was signed before the All-Filipino Conference in February, making her to avoid the draft.
Toring decided to forgo his final year with Adamson, and is currently recovering from her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.
Farm Fresh nurses two Foxies in its ground with recovering Toring and Jolina Dela Cruz, awaiting their clearances.
The Foxies finished ninth place in the previous edition of the All-Filipino Conference, tallying a 3-8 win-loss card.