MANILA, Philippines – In only her second year as a pro player, Roma Doromal already has big shoes to fill in the PVL.
Tasked to lead a rebuilding Capital1, the 24-year-old Doromal is now the Solar Spikers’ team captain as they look to build a solid foundation through the team’s youthful core under new head coach and Alas Pilipinas tactician Jorge Souza de Brito.
For Doromal, the appointment, which took effect at the start of the 2025 PVL On Tour, will be a way for her to grow as a player, just as much as Capital1 grows as a cohesive unit.
“I see it as a way to motivate me inside and outside the court,” the star libero said in Filipino. “I feel like there is a purpose why I was picked the captain, and I super appreciate that they saw my leadership on the court,” she said.
The 5-foot-7 Doromal, who was the 14th pick in last year’s inaugural PVL draft, reprised her role when she was still with the Ateneo Blue Eagles, where she steered the team through its rebuilding phase.
She has also excelled in her role as the team’s defensive specialist, as she tallied a 46.6% success rate on digs and 44.1% on receptions during the 2024-25 All-Filipino Conference, where Capital1 only won one game in 12 tries.
However, losses continued to pile up on Capital1 to start the On Tour tournament, yielding to powerhouses Creamline and Cignal in Vigan, Ilocos Sur, while still awaiting the arrival of No. 1 overall pick Bella Belen.
For her initial assessment as team captain, Doromal thinks there is still plenty of room for improvement.
“Actually, we’ve had a lot of lapses, but at the same time, we’re positive and very eager to do a lot of things that we need to improve in training,” she said.
“We really trust the new system a lot, and all of us are adjusting also to the new system. So it’s a challenge for us, but we’re very up to the challenge.”
Doromal believes De Brito’s system will be a winning one for Capital1. But then, this belief hinged on the team’s patience, which Doromal thinks will be crucial in the PVL On Tour.
“It’s actually challenging because we’ve been with Coach Roger (Gorayeb) for a long time. But with the new system now, we just seem positive and we still trust him with everything that we do,” she said.
“We just have to trust the process, and we’re super happy that we got to play here on On Tour because we get the chance to be together every day. It’s like team building for us.” – Rappler.com