By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Games Tuesday
(Filoil Centre, San Juan)
4 p.m. – Farm Fresh vs Nxled
6:30 p.m. – ZUS Coffee vs Capital1
Nxled and Capital1 seek to parade their respective bolstered rosters when they clash with separate opponents on Tuesday, Feb. 3, in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference at the Filoil Centre in San Juan City.
The Chameleons square off with the Farm Fresh Foxies at 4 p.m., gunning for nothing but an explosive start following a major overhaul that includes acquiring the core of a four-time champion squad.
The Solar Spikers, for their part, collide with the ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles at 6:30 p.m., aiming to enter the season with renewed purpose and quiet confidence following the addition of prized recruits Ponggay Gaston, Jasmine Nabor and Shaya Adorador.
But the spotlight is on Nxled, which made the biggest splash this offseason by adding Brooke Van Sickle, Myla Pablo, and MJ Phillips from champion team Petro Gazz, now on a leave of absence.
Former teammates Djanel Cheng, Jonah Sabete, Bang Pineda, Jellie Tempiatiura, Nicole Tiamzon and Ranya Musa are also joining forces with the champion trio. As if that weren’t enough, veterans Aby Maraño and Aduke Ogunsanya have also been added to the mix, giving coach Ettore Guidetti a wealth of options.
The stacked lineup may look daunting, but Guidetti is embracing it.
“It’s obviously a challenge and it’s something that I accept, embrace, and I am blessed to be the coach (of this team). So yes, it will be difficult. But honestly, I’m not scared. I’m excited,” said Guidetti.
Still, Farm Fresh is not a team to be dismissed lightly.
Under new head coach Koji Tsuzurabara — the same coach that led Petro Gazz to last year’s All-Filipino title — the Foxies are poised to kickstart their title campaign on a high note with their own high-impact recruits Ara Galang, Mylene Paat, Royse Tubino, Remy Palma, Bia General and Imee Hernandez.
Together, they are set to team up with mainstays Trisha Tubu, Alohi Robins-Hardy and Ces Molina.
