Capital1’s Marina Tushova is known for her scoring exploits. She also became known as the player who described Philippine volleyball as "not that high quality," a remark that may have hurt the feelings of local players and coaches who perhaps believe that local women's volleyball is at par with Asia's best.
But Tushova, 25, showed she could back up her opinion with her talent. When her local stint was over, she had broken the PVL's scoring record, not once, not twice, but three times. She now holds the top three scoring marks, the last one a 50-pointer against Cignal, during their quarterfinal match. She had earlier scored 45, then 49 points.
It was her way of telling that she can score at will agaist our best defenders. Unfortunately, volleyball is a team game and she alone could not carry her team to the next stage. They lost to Cignal in five hard-fought sets, 25-19, 36-34, 16-25, 22-25, 15-12, in the PVL Reinforced Conference on Saturday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
Following her stint, Tushova has become beloved by local fans who saw in her a fighting spirit that our local players can emulate. But what is unknown to many was her past struggles and hard work to get where she is now
READ: Record-setting Marina Tushova proves to be 'high quality' addition to PH volleyball
In Russia, she said, young volleyball players were forced to look, act and play a certain way. One area that was deemed important in their development was being forced to be ‘as skinny as she can.’ This, she said, affected her physical and mental well-being.
From ages 14 to 17, Tushova said her first coaches ordered her not to gain weight. Not to follow the order meant a fine of a certain amount each time she gained 100 grams, which is the weight of two eggs, over her teams’ prescribed weight limits.
The pressure to keep her weight within limits was so intense she was forced to train twice a day without any carbohydrate, just so she could continue playing volleyball.
Marina claims herself back
In a talk with SPIN.ph after her final PVL match, the 6-foot Tushova said playing in several countries around the world was driven by a desire of ‘finding her way’ and saving herself.
“I was always finding a way. Even when I felt there is no way, I was looking for another one.
“If I couldn’t improve in one team, I was looking for another team. For example, if I didn’t like some coach, I was looking for another opportunity where I can improve. It’s always like this," said Tushiva, who, in her young career, has played for 11 teams already, including Capital1. She also had stints in Switzerland and France but played initially with several Russian clubs.
Tushova added: “Finally, I felt I had to change countries (where I play) and it was the hardest thing for me. I didn’t earn a lot of money there. It was month by month and that’s it. But I knew like, ‘Okay, I will try this.’ If it’s not, I will try another thing. There is always a way to figure out all problems.”
Even the act of smiling and celebrating every point weren’t normal for her, to a point where she questioned how is it possible to smile while working hard.
But she said her Philippine stint was a culture shock, a pleasant one, though, something that will stay in her memory where ever the game will take her.
She said she had enjoyed her stint in the Philippines. “I like it so much and I want to keep it that way."
But she could not forget what she went through during the formative years of her volleyball career.
“It’s still the hardest thing for me to forget mentally. But just like what coach (Roger) said about today’s game, it was 99 percent mental and one percent physical. I agree with that. Our mental health is the most important thing."
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