DASMARIÑAS, CAVITE — Helene Rousseaux announced her arrival in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) in the biggest way possible, exploding for 38 points in Farm Fresh’s win over Nxled on Thursday at the Dasmariñas Arena.
But after their 22-25, 25-23, 25-19, 25-21 victory, all the Belgian reinforcement wanted to talk about was how grateful she felt to be playing volleyball again.
It wasn’t about her dominant 38-point performance built on 31 attacks out of 70 attempts, four service aces, and three blocks — or even her solid all-around defense that produced 15 excellent receptions and eight digs.
For Rousseaux, it was all about simply getting back to the sport she loves — a sport she once feared she might lose forever after what happened last March.
“First of all, I was really happy to play my first game again after my injury in March, so it’s a special moment for me. I’m really, really happy that it went this way and it’s with this team. That’s for now the biggest thing to say,” the Belgian outside hitter said after the match.
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On March 15, 2025, Rousseaux suffered a severe ankle injury early in her team Papara Goztepe’s match against IBB Spor Kulubu for the silver medal in the Türkiye Kadınlar Voleybol 1. Ligi — with the score still at 4-2 in the opening set.
Silence and shock filled the gym as medical staff rushed to attend to her. Despite the heartbreaking scene, her team went on to win in five sets, 25-23, 24-26, 17-25, 25-20, 15-11.
“Honestly, I was already really grateful the last couple of weeks being here and feeling healthy again and getting my shape back,” said Rousseaux, who previously played for the Belgian national team.
“Today, I just went to this game without expectations whatsoever, to be honest. I just wanted to enjoy volleyball again and to be here.”
Still, after an explosive debut like that, expectations are bound to follow.
However, Farm Fresh head coach Alessandro Lodi doesn’t want those expectations to weigh too heavily on his players’ minds, reminding everyone that they’re just “words people put out.”
Even so, Lodi praised Rousseaux for being the “perfect person” to help lift the Foxies throughout the compact, eight-week conference.
(C) PVL Images
“Eli is the perfect person to complement this team — to work with this team, work for the others, and for the others to work for her — so we’re very optimistic for this league,” said the Italian mentor.
But before getting ahead of himself, Lodi also emphasized the importance of collective effort, urging the rest of the team to give Rousseaux the support she needs to carry Farm Fresh higher in the standings.
“But at the same time, she cannot save us, you know? She can’t carry us. This is not fair to expect, and we would never expect that. Yes, she’s gonna be the top scorer, but we need more people to contribute,” he said.
“We need to lower her load because we want her to finish this league alive — both for her performance’s sake and for the rest of her career. It’s not gonna end in November.”
