After going undrafted in the 2024 Korean V-League (KOVO) Women's Asian Quota Draft, Tots Carlos is not closing her doors on another shot at playing overseas.
Tots Carlos may not have been selected in the 2024 Korean V-League (KOVO) Women's Asian Quota Draft, but she is keeping the door open for another opportunity to play overseas.
The Creamline star was one of three Filipinas, along with Mylene Paat of Chery Tiggo and MJ Phillips of Petro Gazz, who entered the annual KOVO draft with hopes of joining a Korean club team.
Carlos and Paat even traveled to Jeju Island, South Korea, to participate in the tryouts from April 29 to May 1, leading them to miss their respective opening-day matches in the 2024 PVL All-Filipino Conference semifinals, where both Creamline and Chery Tiggo lost.
Phillips, on the other hand, was exempted from the three-day event since she already spent a season in the Korean V-League with the Gwangju AI Peppers.
[RELATED: PVL stars MJ Phillips, Tots Carlos, and Mylene Paat go undrafted in 2024 KOVO Asian Quota Draft]
While all three Filipina hopefuls were left undrafted, Carlos is keeping her options open for a chance to suit up in international leagues.
“Yeah, if meron namang chances. Sabi ko nga at the start of this year, if ever meron man akong opportunity sa kahit ano [na overseas league], iga-grab ko talaga,” the three-time league MVP said.
Despite coming up short, Carlos found the experience worthwhile, as it offered her a unique opportunity to compete against top athletes from across Asia.
“It was a fun experience lalo na’t nakita ko kung paano ‘yung program nila sa volleyball sa ibang bansa. Nakita ko rin ‘yung mga iba-ibang players na kasama ko and may mga natutunan din naman ako. Parang core memory ko lang talaga is really how organized the Koreans in their volleyball league are and how they really take care of their foreign players,” the former UP Fighting Maroon said.
“Okay naman din. I just played my volleyball and wala rin naman akong ibang ine-expect. Tall players, they’re very tall. Ako, honestly, satisfied ako sa naging performance ko so masaya ako na na-experience ko ‘yung ganung opportunity.”
[RELATED: PVL: Tots Carlos repays Creamline’s support for KOVO endeavor with strong outing vs Petro Gazz]
Carlos also acknowledges that her short but memorable stint in Korea wouldn't have been possible without the backing of Creamline. To show her appreciation for the club's support, she flew back to Manila from South Korea early Thursday morning and, about 15 hours later, took the court to help the Cool Smashers defeat the Petro Gazz Angels, keeping their title-retention hopes alive.
“Talagang nagpapasalamat ako sa mga boss namin at saka kina Coach (Sherwin Menses), sa teammates ko na talagang pinayagan ako,” Carlos said.
“Gaya ng sabi ko kanina, kahit hindi naman sabihin nila coach, they expect me to really perform and pagbalik dito na talagang maglaro kasi nga what I did was a personal matter, personal decision ko siya. I’m grateful na pinayagan ako but siyempre, trabaho pa rin pagbalik sa Pilipinas. Ako, honestly, thank you rin kina coach kasi pinalaro ako kahit kakabalik ko lang.”
Carlos and the rest of the Cool Smashers continue their title-retention quest when they take on the Chery Tiggo Crossovers on May 5, Sunday.