Standout hitter Kalei Mau to miss national volleyball team tryouts
HAWAII-BASED Kalei Mau will not be in the national volleyball team tryouts in Subic this week.
The standout outside hitter made the announcement on social media on Tuesday, citing travel restrictions and safety risks as reasons, but made it known that she is still committed to playing for the Philippines when conditions permit to do so.
Ms. Mau, who is part of the F2 Logistics team set to see action in the now-pro Premier Volleyball League (PVL), was one of the 40 women players invited by the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) for the national tryouts happening on Wednesday until Friday in a bubble in Subic.
Through the tryouts, the PNVF hopes to assemble formidable squads for the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam later this year.
Ms. Mau was seen as a strong candidate for one of the spots in the national team with her combination of power and height.
She last saw action for the Cargo Movers last year in the Philippine Superliga until the pandemic abruptly cut its season. Ms. Mau then went back to Hawaii.
For the time being, she said she will first play elsewhere overseas before flying to the Philippines to see action in the PVL for F2 Logistics.
“I want you to hear it from me first that I will be playing abroad for a 2.5 month season. I plan to return to PH after this quick stint to compete in the PVL with my team @F2CargoMovers,” Ms. Mau wrote on her Twitter post.
The PVL was originally planned to start in May in a tournament bubble, but had to push it back to the middle of the year because of the spike in coronavirus cases in the country of late. —