After struggling to find playing time with her previous teams, middle blocker Des Clemente seems to have finally found a believer in Capital1 head coach Roger Gorayeb.
Clemente barely saw the court during her stints with F2 Logistics and Petro Gazz, but she finally found the perfect opportunity when the Solar Spikers picked her up for their debut in the 2024 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference.
“Give credit talaga kay Coach Roger. Kasi sa mga past team ko… Ang inuna niya talagang i-build sa akin ‘yung confidence ko, doon talaga siya nag-start. Kasi once na-build niya ‘yung confidence ko, dire-diretso na ‘yun,” said the 6-foot-1 middle blocker from Davao.
Now in her second conference with the squad, Clemente has emerged as a key contributor for Capital1.
She helped the team make a huge leap from a one-win squad in their debut to a contender in the ongoing import-laced tournament.
On Tuesday, the former La Salle standout put up 14 points – her highest output this conference – to help the Solar Spikers edge Galeries Tower in four sets, 25-13, 26-28, 25-22, 25-21, ahead of the Reinforced Conference quarterfinals.
Capital1 ended the preliminaries with a 5-3 record, a significant improvement from their 1-10 record in the season-opening conference.
(C) PVL Images
“Last game kasi, medyo ‘di ganun ka-okay yung performance ko, so gusto kong bumawi simula next game hanggang sa mga susunod pa namin na games,” said the 28-year-old spiker, who was averaging 7.4 points heading into the match.
“Goal talaga namin ngayong conference [is] one set at a time talaga, kasi ‘yun nga, mas eager and gusto lang namin tulungan si Marina [Tushova] and mas umangat pa talaga yung Capital1,” she added.
Clemente also expressed her gratitude to Gorayeb for reigniting her passion and boosting her confidence, which has led to her resurgence.
“Sobrang happy ko talaga under Coach Roger kasi sobrang pinaramdam niya sa akin na full ‘yung trust niya so parang ako, bibihira ‘yung ganung coach,” she said.
“Tagal kong hinanap ‘yun, ngayon ko lang natagpuan ‘yung coach na grabe ‘yung trust sa akin so talagang tinatrabaho ko lang and tulong tulong.”
