ILOILO – Dani Ravena paid tribute to Nxled following the Chameleons’ four-set victory over Farm Fresh to end their Premier Volleyball League Second All-Filipino Conference campaign on Saturday night.
Nxled finished the tournament strong, taking down a gritty Farm Fresh side, 25-17, 17-25, 25-20, 25-17, to finish ninth and best the Foxies, Gerflor, and Galeries Tower in just their first PVL campaign.
Ravena, who was one of the few players that transferred from Akari to its sister team Nxled, thanked the Chamelons brass for allowing them to showcase their talents and play the game that they love.
“I think we all know na coming into this conference, everyone was doubting us and everyone was saying na ‘Oh sister team lang ng Akari’ but for us, we’re so blessed to be in a company that takes care of us, takes care of the players, takes care of the coaching staff,” said Ravena, who finished with 19 excellent digs in the match.
“We’re just really happy na nabigyan kami ng trabaho and ginagawa po namin yung ginagawa namin which is volleyball.”
Indeed, it was the perfect ending to Nxled’s maiden campaign, as they managed to get a win in the hometown of their company’s founders, Dr. Carlos and Rosario Tiu.
“We’re just really happy na nabigyan kami ng trabaho and ginagawa po namin yung ginagawa namin which is volleyball,” said the 5-foot-5 defensive specialist, who herself hails from Iloilo.
“Our last game, we just showed out, we just really wanted to play it for Sir Chris (Tiu), our boss, and the rest of the Akari company na dahil nga inalagaan nila kami, dapat lang namin tapusin yung conference with a win.”
Ravena also expressed gratitude to Japanese head coach Taka Minowa, for always motivating them and helping them improve.
“Coach Taka is a coach na listens to his players, listens to his coaches so for us kahit na lumalamang yung mga kalaban namin, when you have a coach that continuously motivates you whether you’re leading or naghahabol ka ng score,” said Ravena.
“Gusto lang namin ibigay yung tinraining namin kasi again, two months kami nag-ensayo, two months kami nagpakahirap. It’s just about time to really show out kung ano yung pinaghirapan namin.”