CES Molina sees not a missed finals shot for the Foxies but a seized opportunity to outgrow the team’s old selves.
For Farm Fresh, this All-Filipino Conference run was proof that they are no longer just an up-and-coming team, but one ready to show up when the stakes are highest.
READ: Why support 'not famous' Farm Fresh? Let coach Koji count ways
They may have fell short of a breakthrough PVL Finals stint after bowing to Creamline in the semifinals, but it was nonetheless a campaign that revealed how far they have come in a conference that demanded more.
“I could say malungkot pero masaya rin ako kasi mas nakikita ko kung hanggang saan yung team namin, kung ano na yung nabibigay ng mga players and coaches sa liga na ‘to,” Molina said.
“Maganda rin naman ‘yung pinakita namin, ‘yung run namin the whole conference. Masaya ako na maganda ‘yung binigay namin sa conference na ‘to, and I’m sure marami ring na-take ‘yung mga players, experiences sa liga na ‘to. Masaya ako na marami pang aabangan ‘yung mga fans, volleyball fans, from Farm Fresh.”
And the story isn’t even over yet as Farm Fresh still has a shot at history, eyeing its first-ever PVL podium finish in the battle for third against a PLDT side it has already beaten once this conference.
Having stumbled at the first hurdle in a 25-22, 21-25, 25-27, 28-26, 11-15 loss in the bronze series opener to PLDT, Molina knows that taking the next step requires something more,
A 15-piece from her and a herculean 30-point eruption from Trisha Tubu couldn't get Farm Fresh over the hump of a stacked PLDT side, but come Game 2, without any guarantees on what's to come, the Foxies won't let themselves to go down swinging.
“We can never tell ngayon eh kasi siyempre, naghahabol din ng panalo si PLDT. Isa lang ‘yung sinabi ni Coach Koji na kung gano’ng kalaki gustong manalo, ‘yung willingness to win na manalo ni PLDT or kung sinuman mga kalaban namin, siyempre dapat mas bigger ‘yung willingness namin to win.”
For a team that has long been tagged as up-and-coming, the message is clear: Farm Fresh has finally come and well on its way up.
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