CEBU CITY – Ettore Guidetti had every reason to feel elated on Sunday night after steering Nxled to its first-ever quarterfinals appearance.
But while the historic feat was worth celebrating, it came with mixed emotions for the veteran Italian coach, who earned the victory at the expense of a longtime friend and former coaching partner, Alessandro Lodi.
“To be honest, it’s the only thing that made me not happy today because I prefer to win against anyone, but not against Alessandro [Lodi],” said Guidetti, moments after the Chameleons’ commanding 25-13, 25-16, 25-14 sweep of Farm Fresh in the 2025 PVL On Tour.
Despite the result, Guidetti spoke with deep respect for Lodi, who once served as his assistant coach during his first head coaching stint with Forme Cucine Veca Carpi in Italy back in 2011.
The Nxled mentor shared that their bond has endured through the years, even as they pursued coaching careers on different continents. They’ve consistently kept in touch, exchanging ideas and supporting one another across their respective journeys.
(C) PVL Images
“What can I say? Alessandro is not only a friend. He is a person that I deeply respect as a colleague. So we have many, many times the possibility to get in touch with each other, to share drills, to share knowledge,” Guidetti explained.
Now both based in Asia, Guidetti finds fulfillment in seeing how their shared experiences and philosophies are contributing to the development of volleyball — particularly in the rapidly growing scene in the Philippines.
“That’s what makes it fulfilling. To bring all those years of shared experience and learning to the other side of the world, where both of us are now involved in helping grow the game,” said Guidetti.
Under their guidance, both Nxled and Farm Fresh — young teams with promising potential — have made remarkable progress in the current pre-season tournament, showing clear signs of growth.
“And Alessandro has got a very important experience in the U.S. So, basically, I was asking him a lot of feedback. I had a different experience in Europe, so we shared a lot. It’s really important that we are exporting a little bit of Italian volleyball into Asia,” he added.
“It looks like it’s working. If you see about our national team, it’s really working. So this is what we try to do, what we can do.”
Reflecting on the rare but meaningful match-up, Guidetti expressed gratitude for the chance to once again share the court with someone who played a pivotal role in shaping his coaching career.
“And obviously, this is part of [the] hard work that we are really, really happy to do here in the Philippines.”
#WATCH: With their strong run in the #PVLonTour, Nxled head coach Ettore Guidetti says they’re no longer the underdogs 🏐
📹 @jonashdcd /Tiebreaker Times pic.twitter.com/z15FkPVpNz
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) July 27, 2025
