MAKE that two key exits from the Farm Fresh camp as Caitlin Viray followed Italian head coach Alessandro Lodi out the door before year’s end.
Viray was part of the Foxies’ nine-player offseason haul ahead of the 2024 All-Filipino Conference, a sweeping roster revamp that ranked among the biggest in recent PVL history.
READ: Farm Fresh in search of new coach for fourth time in two years
Before joining Farm Fresh, Viray had spent four years with Choco Mucho dating back to the onset of the pandemic, until her surprise departure just before the 2024 season.
The 27-year-old opposite spiker, however, saw limited minutes throughout her lone year with the Foxies, with four-time best opposite hitter Trisha Tubu anchoring the team’s offense from the right wing.
Viray’s exit adds another layer of uncertainty for Farm Fresh, which now enters 2025 seeking stability after losing both a key attacker and the head coach who led its rapid rise.
Her departure now leaves the young franchise in another period of transition and at a time when they had hoped to build on the momentum of their rapid rise in 2025.
Fresh reset incoming
Farm Fresh hit a new high when it clinched the top seed in this year's Reinforced Conference with a 7-1 record for the first time in its two-year franchise history, only to falter to Akari in the knockout quarterfinals in straight setes.
Losing both a veteran opposite hitter and the architect of their system in Lodi creates fresh questions about continuity and direction heading into 2025.
For a team that prided itself on long-term development and roster stability, the double exit is a jolt.
But it would now just be a matter of time before the Foxies get a hold of their new pieces, including a familiar face returning to the league to call the shots for the 2026 PVL season.
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