DASMARIÑAS, CAVITE — Helene Rousseaux made a stunning debut, powering Farm Fresh to a 22-25, 25-23, 25-19, 25-21 victory over Nxled in the 2025 PVL Reinforced Conference on Thursday at the Dasmariñas Arena here.
The Belgian import erupted for 38 points built on 31 attacks, four aces, and three blocks, while also tallying 15 excellent receptions and eight excellent digs.
Her performance was even more remarkable, as this was Rousseaux’s first professional match since suffering a gruesome ankle injury last March in Turkey.
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“I have a lot of experience. I’ve coached many years in many countries and recruited many players, and you have to understand what the right player is for your team, but also what the right person is,” said Farm Fresh head coach Alessandro Lodi.
“Long story short, the good thing I did was picking not only the right player, which was kinda easy to do, but picking the right person… And Eli is the perfect person to complement this team, to work with this team, work for the others, and the others work for her.”
Down 19-23 in the fourth set, the Chameleons trimmed the deficit to just two points with a quick rally. But Alohi Robins-Hardy responded with a gutsy 1-2 play to put the Foxies at match point.
Rousseaux then sealed the deal, denying Paola Martinez at the net for her 38th point and the win after two hours and 15 minutes of play.
Trisha Tubu added 10 points for Farm Fresh, while Ces Molina, who also made her debut for the Foxies, contributed nine points.
Robins-Hardy orchestrated the offense with 27 excellent sets and added six points, including two aces.
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On the other side, Chiara Permentilla led Nxled with 18 points and 12 excellent receptions, while Spanish import Martinez finished with 15 markers.
Both teams will have a week-long break before returning to action next Thursday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Farm Fresh will face Cignal at 1:30 PM, while Nxled takes on Capital1 at 4:00 PM.
