Barbie Jamili, Khy Cepada impress in PVL Draft Combine

Barbie Jamili at the PVL Draft Combine.–PVL PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Barbie Jamili excelled in multiple categories in the 2026 Premier Volleyball League Draft Combine on Thursday at Gameville Ballpark.

The outside spiker out of Adamson emerged as a top performer among the 42 aspirants in the anthropometric measurements as well as a series of performance assessments conducted by the Valor Performance Institute, including speed, power, reactive strength, and durability tests.

Jamili topped the 10-meter sprint with a time of 1.759 seconds, the pro agility 5-10-5 test with 5.109 seconds, and the hop test reactive strength index with 3.36 meters per second.

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“It’s been a fun experience because I’ve had the chance to meet and interact with players from different teams,” said Jamili in Filipino.

Jamili saw a limited role when she transferred to Adamson, but entering the pros, she vows to give her all to the team that will trust her on Draft Night on June 3 at Novotel.

“I’ll do my best to help the team in any way I can. I’m also willing to keep learning and improving,” said Jamili. “I really don’t know what to expect yet. For now, I just want to give my best and show what I’m capable of once I get the opportunity to play in the PVL.”

Six-foot-one opposite hitter Alyssa Solomon posted the highest vertical reach at 300 centimeters, while middle blocker Niña Ytang registered the highest approach jump at 311 centimeters.

Libero Lara Mae Silva led all aspirants in the countermovement jump with a mark of 46.4 centimeters.

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Khy Cepada also delivered an impressive showing, finishing among the top five in six different drills. The University of the East standout placed second in both the 10-meter sprint (1.776 seconds) and countermovement jump (44.7 centimeters), third in the pro agility 5-10-5 test (5.133 seconds), and fifth in both the hop test reactive strength index (2.28 meters per second) and approach jump (295 centimeters).

“I was surprised by how tall many of the players are. Their measurements through Valor were also impressive. There are a lot of athletic players in this class, and the overall quality is really good,” said PVL Control Committee chairman Sherwin Malonzo.

“Valor also has a way of measuring arm strength, which gives us an idea of a player’s upper-body strength. That usually translates to spiking power, setting ability, and even floor defense because stronger upper-body strength can help improve ball control.”

Day 2 of the Combine featured scrimmages, with draftees playing the positions they listed in their applications. Aspirants who applied for multiple positions were given opportunities to play in separate games.

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