Trust Trisha
Fueled by an underwhelming Premier Volleyball League semifinals debut, Trisha Tubu took matters into her own hands to keep Farm Fresh’s finals dream alive in the 2026 All-Filipino Conference.
With the Foxies staring at a fifth set with an 18-22 deficit, Tubu scored five of the last seven points to cap a 28-point night to lead Farm Fresh, which left top seed PLDT’s fate hanging after a 25-23, 18-25, 25-19, 25-23, victory in the semifinal round on Tuesday at Mall of Asia Arena.
The Foxies improved to 1-1 and dropped the High Speed Hitters to 0-2, hoping for some help in the nightcap of the doubleheader that didn’t come.
Later in the evening, PLDT’s doom was sealed.
Cignal turned back Creamline, 25-13, 13-25, 25-16, 25-16, in the second game that sealed a Finals appearance for the Super Spikers and eliminated the High Speed Hitters from the championship picture.
PLDT was hoping for a Creamline win that would have left the door ajar for its gasping Finals bid. Instead, the Cool Smashers and the Foxies will clash for the last championship ticket on Thursday at Filoil Centre in San Juan City.
Tubu was held to 13 points on a 13-of-34 attacking clip in their four-set loss to Cignal in Saturday’s semifinal opener.
But the four-time PVL Best Opposite Hitter played unfazed by that, making sure that she—in leading the Foxies—justified their inclusion in the Final Four by making this furious push for a seat in the title series.
Telling blows
“After our last loss, I told myself that I didn’t want that to happen again,” Tubu said in Filipino, referring to that mediocre first semifinal game. “That stayed with me, and it became my motivation to bounce back for myself and for the team.”
Tubu didn’t want to let her teammates down. That’s why she nailed the telling blows.
“It’s really the trust they have in me. I don’t want to break that,” she explained. “In the last game, I didn’t perform well, so I really wanted to bounce back. I’m grateful I was given the chance (to redeem myself), especially in the crucial ending of the game.
“I’m very thankful to my coaches and teammates, their trust never wavered, no matter what,” she added. “This win was truly a total team effort.”
Besides Tubu, Ces Molina also stepped up with 12 points and nine digs. Royse Tubino had 10 points and 15 excellent receptions, while Alohi Robins-Hardy had 20 excellent sets.
“As a team, we really wanted to win and finish the game strong. It feels so good to play when people trust you,” Tubu said. “We were all in it together. My teammates kept telling me, ‘Just go for it. We got your back.’
“That kind of support feels amazing, and it lets me focus on my role,” she said. “That kind of motivation is something I can’t waste.”
Tubu says that continuing to embrace the mindset instilled by champion coach Koji Tsuzurabara is key to the Farm Fresh success.
“Coach always reminds us that we’re the challengers, so the pressure isn’t on us,” she said. “I think that mindset really helped. We just played our game freely. And when the opportunity came, we grabbed it. This was a chance we didn’t want to let slip away.”
Kianna Dy carried the High Speed Hitters with 20 points. Savi Davison had 18 points and 13 receptions, while rookie Alleiah Malaluan tallied 17 points.
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