Chinese coach Chen Gang is focusing on the silver linings after Nxled bowed out of the 2024 Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference.
The Chameleons kick-started their first conference under Chen with a nail-biting five-set win over Galeries Tower but suffered seven consecutive losses afterwards, finishing the tournament with a 1-7 win-loss record.
Still, Chen believes there is plenty of room for the young Nxled team to grow.
“When I came, I didn’t know anything about the team I was leading. I just knew it was a new team; I didn’t know any of its history. Although I had hoped for a better outcome, as you can see, the results were not what I expected,” said Chen.
After making strides in the previous conference, the Chameleons were forced to hit the reset button after former head coach Taka Minowa and star players Ivy Lacsina, Dani Ravena, Camille Victoria, and Kamille Cal transferred to Akari during the offseason.
“It’s my first time coming to the Philippines, and I’m really glad that I was chosen. I felt so happy because, in China, there is no professional league – only the national teams,” said the former member of the China national team.
“So when I arrived here, I was surprised by the number of volleyball teams showing this level of competition. But I believe there’s still room for improvement,” he added.
Chen is planning to fly back to China for a vacation while he awaits the management’s decision.
He revealed that the Nxled brass has already discussed a possible extension with him.
“I’m actually going home on Thursday for vacation, and I’m still waiting to hear about the company’s next plan. They’ve asked me to consider whether I’d want to come back,” said Chen.
“I’m happy, though, because in the last three months that I’ve been here, the team has improved – maybe not as quickly as I had hoped, but improved nonetheless.”
(c) PVL Images
For her part, American middle blocker Meegan Hart urged her teammates to forget about the outcome of this conference and move forward to what’s next.
Hart believes that the team is brimming with potential and that it’s only a matter of time before they start making waves in the PVL.
“For this conference, just kind of forget about it. Obviously, think about the things that we should have learned and work on that. Don’t dwell on it. They’re a young team, and there’s so much potential and growth ahead of them,” said Hart.
“I think our games were frustrating because, seeing in practice, we can win those games, and there’s potential there. Just forget about it and take it as a learning experience to grow and push forward.”
