AS the old adage goes, when one door closes, another opens.
Well, no one would be a better example than Cignal’s Katrin Trebichavská, who is slowly but surely cementing her place as one of the most reliable imports in the 2025 PVL Reinforced Conference.
Though the Slovakian spiker has a smaller sample size than the rest, being the late replacement for Eva Chantava, she was instantly productive upon her arrival, delivering back-to-back 20-point games.
Her stellar play peaked on Thursday, dropping 24 points, two blocks, and one ace to show the way in the Super Spikers' dimming of Akari, upping their record to 3-3.
READ: Trebichavska reconnects Cignal into win column to open Round 2
“I think tonight we proved that we can beat any team. Obviously, Akari are a great team. They have a great import, very successful. Even if it was pretty close in certain sets... I feel like we just dominated on the court,” she said.
While she’s undoubtedly been a net positive with Cignal at 2-1 since signing her, in a parallel universe, she's not suiting up for the Super Spikers.
In fact, there's a world where she wasn't setting foot in Philippine volleyball at all.
Apparently, Trebichavska had been in the hunt for a PVL roster spot even before the import-laden conference began, saying, “I was actually trying to play in the Philippines since the beginning of the season, and it didn't work out. They filled up their rosters, everybody did, and I didn't get to come here.“
“And then, I was actually telling my agent because I got rejected multiple times in a row, I was like, 'I'm done, I can't keep doing this, it's hard.'”
She wasn't doing so well in terms of other overseas offers either, as opportunities in Turkey and Puerto Rico also didn't work out.
As days passed with Trebichavska still empty-handed, Cignal finally came calling, just as she was only halfway contemplating hanging her volleyball shoes up for good.
“Four days later, my agent texted me saying, this team in the Philippines (Cignal) really wants you, specifically. So, I got all the details. I said, 'Ok, I'm going,” she said.
“It's been two and a half weeks, but it was one of the best decisions I made ever. I don't know, I just feel like I've been a part of this team for my entire life.”
Katrin came, saw, and wants to conquer
With the replacement reinforcement thrown into the fire midway through the Super Spikers' campaign, she very easily could have felt out of place.
But the opposite happened, and she was ever-grateful to her teammates for making it so.
“Yeah, I was very happy actually because playing professionally has always been my dream since I was 10 years old. Everybody's helping me a lot and I feel like I've been here for two and a half weeks and I feel like I have strong friendships with my teammates already,” she said.
“And I just wish the season was longer here because I'm really enjoying this epic chemistry, I believe that it's really good.”
But make no mistake, making the team was never her only goal. Above all else, when given the opportunity, Trebichavska's bottom line will always be winning.
As she put it, “Of course, I want to win as much as we can. I was very happy to get the opportunity and there was just no hesitation. But I want to get the gold medal here and end my first professional season here with a bang,” she said.
Now that she has proven she belongs, the priority has shifted to Cignal, and proving that they belong as one of the best in the PVL.
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