Veteran pair bring podium experience to Farm Fresh
Veteran players Ces Molina and Ria Meneses wanted to prove that the Farm Fresh Foxies have moved past beyond being a team with potential in the Premier Volleyball League.
When they joined the squad after a year-long hiatus, the spiker-middle blocker duo was eager to turn that potential into results.
The Foxies are starting to do that.
They came through with a crucial victory, a 25-19, 25-14, 23-25, 25-17 victory on Saturday at the Filoil EoOil Centre in San Juan City that halted Akari’s winning streak and booked Farm Fresh a ticket to the 2026 All-Filipino Conference qualifying round.
Farm Fresh, a team led by young stars like Trisha Tubu, clearly benefited from the veterans, who lent their experience to the young squad, which fell short in the last Reinforced Conference quarterfinals.
Curiously, it was Akari that knocked the team out of contention, so Saturday’s victory reeked of vengeance.
This time, Farm Fresh closed the preliminary round at 5-4 with 17 points, edging Akari, which owns the same win-loss record but dropped to the play-in with just 15 points.
Meneses, who had eight points, highlighted by three blocks, was determined to prove that the Foxies belong in the Top 4.
“I think we’ve reached a point where we’re really fighting for ourselves. We want to prove that we can compete at a high level. That we’re not just a Farm Fresh team that opponents can easily beat,” said Meneses in Filipino. “That’s why every day, we put in the work not just for ourselves, but also for the company, because they’ve really been supporting us so much.”
“For me, this is the biggest motivation. This is the comeback I’ve been waiting for. Every day, I stay patient and keep fighting no matter what happens,” she added.
Molina, who delivered 18 points on top of 11 digs and nine excellent receptions, hopes to bring the podium finishes and Finals experiences to the Foxies, as they try to finally capture that semifinal berth that has eluded them since they joined the league three years ago.
“With our former teams, we already know what it feels like to reach the podium. We’ve had bronze and silver finishes. So I want to share that experience with Farm Fresh, because they haven’t made it to the podium yet,” said Molina.
“This really feels like a fresh start for the team. It’s exciting to work toward that again with people who truly trust you, especially with coach Koji (Tsuzurabara) and a whole new system.”
Meneses attributed their strong preliminary round finish to their Japanese coach, who won a championship with Petro Gazz last year, after he stayed patient and made an immediate impact on the culture and system of Farm Fresh.
“This is also for coach Koji. He’s only been with us for a few months and we want to prove that his system really works for us. We’re doing this for him and for the team because we have something to prove,” said Meneses.
