Playmaker from Marinduque pursues PVL dream

Jamie Solina PVL PHOTO

With dreams to chase but not well known in mainstream volleyball, playmaker Jamie Solina from Marinduque will take her chances in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) 2024 Rookie Draft.

The five-foot-one setter showed that she has the guts to compete along the 46 PVL hopefuls as she aims to play in the big league. Competing against the top talents from UAAP and NCAA, Solina admitted that her path to the pros will not be easy but not impossible.

"I am so happy. When I passed the requirements I told to myself 'no expectations,' because we all know that UAAP and NCAA players are applying too. When I saw my name on the list (of draftees) it was really an answered prayer and I prayed for it," Solina said.

"There are doubts. Of course, when it comes to height also. But because of the people who believed in me I will fight. I want to serve as an inspiration to the younger athletes in the province who play volleyball. So this experience is good."

Solina also shared how the tides in her life prevented her to play for a school based in Metro Manila as family matters come into the picture. But this does not stop her from pursuing her dreams to become a volleyball star.

"Until 9th grade I played here in Manila, then I lived in Caloocan, then there is an unexpected event that happened in our family so I resided in Marinduque," she said.

"But I love sports so much, and I really wanted to play pro. I went to Makati, then when I am already in college I really wanted to try out for UAAP or NCAA but there's a pandemic. I cannot do anything about it. Then my college in Marinduque has no women's volleyball team." With no volleyball opportunities in her school, she trained by herself and kept herself in tip-top shape.

"To be honest, all I have is self-training for four years. All the experiences that I have in junior high and in senior high, that is all that I have now. I continued to be in condition in college," Solina said. For Solina, there will be no regrets for her if no team picks her in the PVL Rookie Draft on July 8. "So I showed courage even though I came from the province. I do not want to waste any opportunity, and I do not want to have any regrets. I also know that I am not from NCAA and UAAP," she said.