Ara Galang opened the Reinforced Conference of the Premier Volleyball League with a brand new, eye-catching look.
Her trademark spiky hairdo was gone. Instead, Galang now sported vibrant red hair styled in a surprising ‘semi-kalbo’ cut.
Galang drew inspiration from the iconic anime character Sakuragi Hanamichi from the manga series ‘Slam Dunk’ to complement her jersey No. 10 for the Crossovers.
“Nung nagstart ako sa Chery, kasi sakto nagnumber 10 ako, ‘eh plano ko na rin mag-red hair. Inano ko na rin naman parang syempre Sakuragi ‘yun diba,” Galang said after the Crossovers’ 25-16, 25-20, 25-23 sweep of the Nxled Chameleons to take the solo lead and maintain their undefeated status in Pool A.
“Kabataan ko ‘yon, so nakakatuwa rin na kita ko yung positive rin yung tingin nila and hindi naman siya insult so, okay naman.”
(C) PVL Images
Aside from Sakuragi’s work ethic, Galang reflected on how she had to earn her trust with Chery Tiggo at the previous All-Filipino conference, similar to how Sakuragi had to work his way to success with Shohoku High School.
The 29-year-old wing spiker, who only chipped in four points in their tournament opener against Farm Fresh, contributed 11 points on seven attacks and four blocks, along with 11 digs.
“Si Sakuragi kasi alam mo yung palaban din kasi siya… Parang nagstart din siya ng wala, parang paangat. Hanggang sa nabuild niya yung confidence niya,” the 29-year-old native of Angeles City said.
“Nabuild, parang pinagkatiwalaan din siya ng mga kasama niya. So parang naano ko lang din, ganun din naman ako as a player ‘eh.”
Galang now aims to step up for a depleted Chery Tiggo lineup, which is missing the services of Jen Nierva and Eya Laure due to Alas Pilipinas duties, while also losing EJ Laure to a shoulder injury.
“Kailangan panindigan ko yung binigay sakin na responsibility and binigay na role. Syempre kung ano yung pinagtatrabahuhan ko, ‘yon naman din yung mailalabas,” Galang added.
