Iris Tolenada couldn’t be more proud after the young Capital1 squad passed the group stage with flying colors in the 2024 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Reinforced Conference.
After winning only one game in their debut in the All-Filipino Conference, the retooled Solar Spikers have already exceeded expectations in the Reinforced Conference. They posted a 3-2 win-loss record, which was more than enough to secure a spot in the top three for the crossover round.
Capital1 also stunned defending champion Petro Gazz and a legitimate title contender in Choco Mucho in the process.
“I’m really proud because it’s a young team. We’re still building a program, and we haven’t been together for long, but we come into the gym every day with a purpose, and that’s why we’re able to be successful, especially when we need to be,” said the 32-year-old playmaker out of San Francisco State U.
Tolenada is one of the key factors in the Solar Spikers’ rise, providing invaluable leadership on and off the court for the young squad.
“I think the biggest difference is really, honestly, us coming in and understanding my leadership role and what I had to do, which the coaches and management discussed with me, and how I need to help the team,” said Tolenada, who last played for GS Caltex Soul in South Korea before joining Capital1.
“So it’s me being a facilitator for the coaches, especially Coach Roger, and really just owning that leadership role.”
(C) PVL Images
On Tuesday night, the 2016 Shakey’s V-League Reinforced Conference Best Setter continued to prove her worth for the up-and-coming squad by doing what she was signed up to do. She helped the team recover from an opening-set hiccup against ZUS Coffee.
With Tolenada leading the way, Capital1 secured a four-set victory, 18-25, 25-20, 25-19, 25-18, against the winless Thunderbelles to clinch the third spot in Group B.
She finished with 21 excellent sets and five big points.
“Like you said, it was honestly about competing. We always talk about just being resilient and competing on the court,” said Tolenada.
“It’s up to us because we’re the underdogs. We played another underdog team, so the underdog battle is pretty awesome to watch. It’s really everyone committing to keeping the ball off our side and getting more kills.”
