Pepito embraces PVL challenge against volleyball idols

Detdet Pepito is moving from the UAAP spotlight to the Premier Volleyball League with a decorated résumé and a clear target: to test herself against the players she once admired from afar.

The 21-year-old libero from the University of Santo Tomas enters the PVL Draft as one of the most accomplished defensive specialists in the rookie pool, carrying two Best Libero citations from the collegiate ranks and four more from her high school career.

Pepito said the transition to the professional level gives her a chance to face some of the league’s top floor defenders, including PLDT’s Kath Arado and Choco Mucho’s Thang Ponce and Dawn Catindig.

“Super excited ko kasi noon pinapanood ko lang sila, ngayon makakalaban ko na sila,” she said during Day 1 of the PVL Draft Combine at the Gameville Ball Park in Mandaluyong. “Mas maganda kasi makikita ko kung paano sila gumalaw face-to-face. Makakatulong yun sa adjustments, lalo na sa pressure situations. Kailangan ko talagang i-absorb para mag-improve.”

Pepito built her reputation with the UST Golden Tigresses as an energetic libero who anchored the floor defense and helped set the tone for the team.

She said she does not plan to change her identity as she prepares for the professional game.

Instead, Pepito said she will rely on the same leadership, vocal presence and work ethic that defined her collegiate career.

“Siguro unang-una yung leadership ko, and yung pagbibigay ko ng 101 percent sa training pa lang at sa laro,” she shared.

Pepito is part of a smaller group of liberos in this year’s draft class.

The group includes University of the Philippines’ Jum Gayo and Irah Jaboneta, as well as Colegio de San Juan de Letran’s Lara Mae Silva, among others.

The PVL Draft is scheduled for June 3 at Novotel Manila Araneta City.

Galeries Tower holds the first overall pick after winning the 2026 PVL Draft Lottery, according to reports by the Philippine Daily Inquirer and GMA News Online.

Capital1 will select second, followed by Choco Mucho, ZUS Coffee, Akari, Nxled, Farm Fresh, PLDT and Creamline in order.

The Philippine News Agency reported that 42 players are joining the PVL Draft, underscoring the depth of the rookie class entering the country’s top professional women’s volleyball league.

For Pepito, the draft is not only about hearing her name called.

She said she also wants to bring the same personality that made her a steadying presence for UST: vocal, upbeat and willing to lighten the mood even in pressure situations.

“Ganon lang ako talaga,” she said. “Mas nagiging effective ako kapag ako yung sarili ko—makulit, energetic, tapos pinapagaan ko yung atmosphere ng team.”

Pepito’s entry into the PVL comes as teams continue to look for players who can immediately contribute on defense, serve reception and in-game communication.

For a libero, those responsibilities often decide a team’s ability to extend rallies and keep its offense organized.

Pepito said facing veteran liberos such as Arado, Ponce and Catindig will help her measure the standard she needs to reach in the professional ranks.