A childhood dream of playing professionally in the Philippines has driven Filipino-Canadian libero Nathalie Ramacula to apply for the inaugural PVL Draft.
Ramacula's aspiration to play in both the UAAP and PVL was cut short when she had to migrate to Canada at 15 years old.
Her volleyball journey began with the University of the East, where she played as a resident player before leaving for Canada. Now, along with Brock University libero Aleiah Torres, Ramacula is one of two Canada-raised aspirants in the upcoming draft.
"When I was 15, I was a resident player at UE. Unfortunately, I was going to play in the UAAP, but I had to go to Canada. This is my dream. Since I was a child, this has been my ultimate dream," Ramacula shared.
Not only was her high school career cut short, but her collegiate playing years at Red River College Polytechnic were also limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Determined to make up for lost time, Ramacula gave her all in the first-ever PVL Draft Combine, aiming to impress the 12 clubs and stand out among the 46 other aspirants.
"The combine is really important because I hope I did great earlier, even though I felt a little bit jetlagged. I arrived three days ago, so I’m still behind on sleep and adjusting to the time. I’m hoping I did my best as a libero," she said.
Despite the challenges, Ramacula remains hopeful and determined. She aims to bring her best as a vocal and motivating libero to whichever PVL team drafts her ahead of the draft on July 8 at Novotel.
"I can motivate each one of my teammates and be a vocal libero as well, so I hope I can give my best for the team," she said.
