Playing in her first competitive game after a year, rookie Leila Cruz remains patient as she aims to regain peak form for Capital1 in the 2024 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Reinforced Conference.
Cruz, who tore her right ACL last year during UAAP Season 85, returned to the Taraflex on Thursday night as the Solar Spikers suffered a tough four-set loss against Akari to open their campaign.
“Okay lang siya pero syempre marami pa rin akong lapses na need ko talagang i-work on. Binigyan ko lang din ‘yung sarili ko ng patience kasi I know nga na this is my first game ulit,” the former La Salle standout told Tiebreaker Times.
“Yun, patience lang talaga tapos work hard din sa mga susunod pang laro.”
The second overall pick in the inaugural PVL Rookie Draft, Cruz had earlier felt under the weather and only returned to practice yesterday.
She recorded seven points, six of which came from attacks, in her highly anticipated professional debut.
(C) Joaqui Flores/PVL
“Nagkasakit po kasi ako ng Saturday tapos kahapon lang ako nakabalik sa training. ‘Yun po, kaya wala rin ako masyadong expectations. Pero thankful naman po ako na kahit papaano, naka-survive ako at naka-help ako sa team,” said Cruz, a product of La Salle.
“Proud po ako sa team namin kasi super nilaban naman namin. I know naman talaga na nilaban po namin yung game na ‘yun, mindset lang namin is balik ulit sa training and mag-hard work para makapanalo kami next game.”
Cruz missed the rest of Season 85 after tearing her ACL and watched as the Lady Spikers won the championship by defeating National University in the best-of-three finals, before eventually missing the entire Season 86.
The 6-foot opposite spiker vowed to regain her old deadly form and help Capital1 rise in the standings following a disappointing campaign in the All-Filipino Conference, where they finished 11th with only one win.
“I’ll try my best po talaga to work on every skill na pwede kong maging advantage as in I will do my best po talaga to help Capital1 na makaangat kami sa standings.”
