BREATH OF FRESH AIR
Farm Fresh wants to prove that it belongs with the big guns in the PVL. And in an epic performance against a two-time champion on Tuesday night, the Foxies showed that they can play with—and beat—some of the best.
Displaying poise and composure in a nip-and-tuck marathon match, the Foxies pulled out a 25-21, 25-22, 21-25, 28-26 triumph over Petro Gazz at Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan to barge into the quarterfinals of the Reinforced Conference while putting the powerhouse Angels on the bubble.
“It’s really hard to play against us,” said Farm Fresh coach Alessandro Lodi after the 121-minute match. “If we’re close enough … and stay close at the end of sets, it will make a difference.”
Belgian import Helene Eli Rousseaux, setter Alohi Robins-Hardy and the prolific Tisha Tubu again led the way for the Foxies, who rose to 5-1 with the win to join undefeated ZUS Coffee and PLDT as the first three squads safely into the next round.
Rousseaux finished with 31 points, including the last two, while Tubu added 14 and, together with Robins-Hardy, the trio led the way in dealing the Angels a third loss in six games that put them at seventh spot heading into the final phase of the second round of the eliminations.
“The break did good for us. We really had time to practice on our serve and defense, which were needed—and we saw that in this game,” said Rousseaux as the Foxies won back-to-back wins following their Oct. 31 victory over Choco Mucho.
PLDT, which is also at 5-1, is the only team that has dealt a blemish on the Farm Fresh record.
Rousseaux and Robins-Hardy are proving to be a potent 1-2 punch in the conference, and the Belgian said that there is nothing special in what they have been doing.
“We’re just chill and are good together,” she said after a second straight 31-point effort. “We don’t push each other too hard. It’s not really a secret.”
Once labeled as just one of those promising squads in the league, Farm Fresh has definitely announced its coming as a force.
Proving herself
They obviously have found the perfect import in Rousseaux and the experience of Robins-Hardy in pro leagues overseas before coming over has certainly served the team well.
And then there’s Tubu, the former Adamson standout in the UAAP who wants to prove herself as a superstar in the PVL—if she is not one yet.
Tubu drilled Petro Gazz’s defense with off-the-block hits, including that most crucial one that saved set point at 25 in the fourth.
Aside from nine points capped by a 1-2 play that broke that 25-all tie, Robins-Hardy also stood out with 21 excellent sets. Ces Molina also helped anchor the defense with 19 excellent digs and 11 receptions, teaming up seamlessly with Alyssa Bertolano, who added 13 digs and 11 receptions, to fortify the Foxies’ floor coverage.
Lindsey Vander Weide and Brooke Van Sickle paced Petro Gazz with 16 points apiece, while MJ Phillips and Ranya Musa chipped in 13 and 10, respectively.
However, the Angels struggled to keep up with the Foxies’ strong finishes in the first two sets and couldn’t sustain their momentum after a spirited third-set win, fading in the closing stretch of the fourth.
