MONTALBAN — Nxled head coach Ettore Guidetti raised eyebrows last year when he openly said he would have taken Lyann de Guzman over Bella Belen had they owned the No. 1 pick in the 2025 PVL Draft.
“She is super amazing. I have been the one choosing her as first pick-up,” the Italian mentor said back in June.
“She showed to us, to every one of us, huge leadership and that’s super important.”
READ: Nxled sweeps Capital1 to win second straight in PVL All-Filipino
NXLED entered the lottery with the best odds but slid to fourth, eventually selecting the then-Ateneo skipper.
Belen went first overall to Capital1, with Galeries Tower picking Jean Asis at No. 2 and Farm Fresh selecting Alohi Robins-Hardy at No. 3.
At the time, de Guzman flashed promise during the PVL on Tour while Belen had yet to suit up.
NXLED’s momentum later dipped, but a retooled Chameleons side bolstered by Petro Gazz champions has surged to a 2–0 start in the 2026 All-Filipino Conference.
That run continued with a straight-sets win over Capital1 in Montalban, where de Guzman delivered 13 points on 12 attacks and an ace, doing enough to blunt Belen’s 23-point outburst and keep NXLED unbeaten.
Asked if that performance further validated his bold post-draft stance, Guidetti didn’t hesitate.
“For sure, yes,” he said.
“I’m happy every single day about her effort and her attitude during the practice. I don’t remember a single practice that she didn’t try her best.
“Then obviously, there are good days and bad days for every one of us but having players like this, it’s a real pleasure.”
We, not me
For de Guzman, the bigger win goes beyond the box score.
Amid offseason hype surrounding NXLED’s Petro Gazz reinforcements, she has quietly held her ground while also toggling between outside hitter and opposite roles, a demanding in-game shift even for veterans.
“Very healthy competition talaga ‘yung sa team ngayon and everyone is willing to step up to help talaga,” she said.
“Nakikita naman din na hindi lang siya one-man show dahil everyone in the team is getting us through.”
Now cast as part of a hunted group rather than a hunter, de Guzman embraces whatever is asked, left or right wing, starter or spark.
“Accept lang din talaga sa mga bagong role na binibigay dahil nu’ng college, nag-opposite din naman ako,” she said.
“Ibibigay ko pa kung ano ‘yung kaya kong ibigay.”
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