For more than a decade, Detdet Pepito’s volleyball identity was tied to the University of Santo Tomas.
Now, as she steps into the professional ranks, the former Golden Tigresses captain is preparing to test herself against the very players she once watched from the sidelines.
“Super excited ko kasi yun nga noon pinapanood ko lang sila, ngayon pa kayang makakalaban ko sila,” Pepito said.
After 11 years of development under the UST system, Pepito enters the PVL Draft carrying both familiarity and uncertainty, the kind that comes with leaving a long-standing home and entering an entirely new competitive environment.
Despite the transition, the two-time UAAP Best Libero remains firm on the qualities she plans to bring into the professional stage, especially the leadership that defined her collegiate career.
“Siguro, unang-una po yung leadership ko, of course, and yung palagi ko talagang binibigay yung 101-percent ko during training pa lang po and syempre sa laro,” the UST captain said.
But behind the confidence is a reality check that comes with professional adjustment. Pepito admitted that adapting to PVL routines has not been simple, especially with the shift in training schedules and overall system differences compared to collegiate life.
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Detdet Pepito on entering the PVL Draft. #PVL2026 @inquirersports pic.twitter.com/6BVZmrcbju
— Lance Agcaoili (@LanceAgcaoilINQ) May 28, 2026
“Honestly, it’s been really hard. Even just the training schedule is a huge adjustment because most PVL teams train in the morning. In UST, we usually finished training late at night, so my body clock was really used to that,” she said.
Still, instead of resisting change, Pepito has begun embracing it, even finding unexpected positives in the adjustment to a new routine.
“Now I’m trying my best to adjust to morning training and to the overall PVL system. It’s difficult, but exciting too because after almost 11 years of training at night, now I’m training in the morning. Actually, I’ve noticed I become more productive after morning training because I still have the whole afternoon to do other things.”
As the PVL Draft approaches on June 3 at Novotel Manila Araneta City, Pepito is part of a competitive pool of liberos that 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 draft order places Galeries Tower on top with the first overall pick, followed by Capital1, Choco Mucho, ZUS Coffee, Akari, Nxled, Farm Fresh, PLDT, and Creamline.
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