PSL tosses out, fines Soltones for PVL stint

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Superliga yesterday sacked Iriga City’s Grethcel Soltones for one year and fined the former many-time NCAA MVP P50,000 for suiting up in a fund-raiser in the Premier Volleyball League All Star Game recently.

In a letter addressed to Iriga City team owner and Mayor Madelaine Alfelor, PSL president Ramon Suzara said Soltones’ stint in the PVL exhibition game was a breach of PSL’s one-league policy, which prohibits players to see action in other leagues while in contract with a PSL club team.

Soltones, who also helped power BaliPure to the PVL Reinforced Conference crown last August, hooked it up with newcomer Iriga City after the PVL season and backed reinforcements Tamara Kmezic, Saam Miyagawa and Minami Yoshioka in the Oragons’ five-set win over the Sta. Lucia Lady Realtors in their first outing.

But the Oragons will be without the former San Sebastian ace hitter when the Oragons take on the unbeaten Foton Tornadoes at 2 p.m. today in the first of three matches at the resumption of the PSL Grand Prix at the Filoil Flying V Center in San Juan.

Defending back-to-back champion Foton, which seized the top spot from Petron with a 3-0 card, boasts of Serbian Sara Klisura and local ace Jaja Santiago.

Meanwhile, Cocolife faces guest team UST at 4 p.m. while F2 Logistics, bannered by Kennedy Bryan and Maria Jose Perez, tries to come up with a follow-up to its big victory over erstwhile unbeaten Petron against winless Sta. Lucia at 6 p.m.

The Tigresses joined the league for the first time in preparation for the upcoming UAAP wars and are looking to get a victory in their first try against their head coach Kung Fu Reyes and the Asset Managers, who upended the Cignal HD Spikers in Bacolod to snap a two-game skid.

Paul Doloiras will call the shots for UST which will also play without main gunners Sisi Rondina and EJ Laure, who are with Petron and Foton, respectively.