Philippine volleyball star Kalei Mau will miss the scheduled national team tryouts on Wednesday, April 28, as she is set to travel to Puerto Rico for a short professional volleyball stint.

The Filipino-Hawaiian spiker signed with Las Changas de Naranjito, which participates in Puerto Rico’s professional league.

According to Mau, she will be playing for the Puerto Rican club for two and a half months before suiting up for F2 Logistics in its Premier Volleyball League debut.

“I want you to hear it from me first that I will be playing abroad for a 2.5 month season. I plan to return to PH after this quick stint to compete in the PVL with my team,” tweeted Mau on Tuesday, April 27.

Mau acquired her Philippine passport in March 2019, making her eligible to represent the country as part of the national team. 

But the 25-year-old was not able to represent the country in the 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, as she needed to secure a release from the United States Volleyball Association to play for the Philippines in compliance with FIVB rules.

Mau, though, has represented the country in SEA Games tune-up tournaments and has played for F2 Logistics since 2019 in the Philippine Superliga. – Rappler.com