ONE would think of champion squads like Creamline, Petro Gazz, and PLDT as the PVL’s standard bearers.
But for Farm Fresh head coach Alessandro Lodi, his up-and-coming Foxies have shown they’re aren't just another team in the field.
In fact, he believes they’re now a team to beat, too.
READ: Farm Fresh joins PVL QFs cast with four-set win over Petro Gazz
“It's really hard to play against us. If we're close enough—if we can fight and work our way there and stay close at the end of sets—sooner or later, I will make a difference. And it happened again today,” Lodi said.
With five wins in six games, Farm Fresh clinched its third playoff appearance in just two years as a franchise after a 25-21, 25-22, 21-25, 28-26 victory over Petro Gazz on Tuesday.
The Foxies displayed why they currently lead the league in attacking and serving, finishing with 68 attacks and five aces.
And for Lodi, it's their newfound mastery of power and pressure that has defined their rise.
“I sound like a broken record, but my team is gritty, my team never gives up, and we have that serving pressure that people really don't like,” he said.
‘Fresh revolution’
Lodi himself admitted he’s surprised by how far the team has come since he took over last May.
Their ascent, he said, didn’t simply happen because of Belgian national team veteran Helene Rousseaux’s arrival. It was a product of a rigorous six-month rebuild that stretched well beyond the league's last two preseason tournaments.
“Generally speaking, the growth has been immense. Even just comparing to one month, a few weeks before the conference—that surprised me,” said Lodi.
“It’s the culmination of six months of work, of struggle, of ups and downs. We knew we were putting in the work and investing what was necessary to hit the big jackpot at the end.”
He further described their meteoric rise in one word: a revolution.
“The change for us has been closer to a revolution than a simple adjustment, and every player would confirm that.”
“In those phases, sometimes you look like you can’t play volleyball—but you're on your way. People don’t see it yet, but it’s happening now.”
“We’re not there yet. We still have to clean up some things. But it makes me proud. And I want everyone represented in this picture. It’s the whole team.”
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