Ces Molina and Riri Meneses are determined to build something special with Farm Fresh as they aim to guide the squad to its first-ever podium finish in the 2026 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference.
Both seasoned veterans, Molina and Meneses bring multiple podium experiences from their stints with Petro Gazz and Cignal. Now, they hope to give the Foxies that same taste of success, pushing the team toward a breakthrough finish in just their second conference with the squad.
“Kasi kami naman sa former teams namin, alam na namin ‘yung feeling na nakakapag-podium, lagi kaming nasa bronze, silver… So, gusto ko lang ma-share sa Farm Fresh kasi si Farm Fresh, hindi pa siya nakapasok sa podium,” said the former league MVP.
“Eto ‘yung parang fresh start talaga sa Farm Fresh dahil parang ang saya mo na naghintay at papasok ka ulit sa podium. At kasama mo na ulit ‘yung mga tao na nandiyan na talagang nagtitiwala talaga sa’yo, especially ‘yung coach namin, si Coach Koji [Tsuzurabara],” she added.
(C) PVL Images
For Meneses, the journey is also about repaying the trust of a team that welcomed them back warmly after a long hiatus, giving them a fresh opportunity to compete at a high level.
“Sobrang happy ako kasi winelcome nila kami with malaki talagang ano e [open arms]. Basta yun, sobrang welcoming nila — from the owner hanggang sa management at sa mga players talaga,” said Meneses, who is making the most of her minutes after being scarcely used in the first conference with the squad.
“As in, wala akong masabi. Sobrang thankful talaga na may nagtiwala pa rin sa amin after ng lahat ng nangyari,” she added.
On Saturday, Molina and Meneses moved one step closer to that dream, powering the Foxies to the qualifying round with a victory over Akari, 25-19, 25-14, 23-25, 25-17, to close the preliminary round.
Molina delivered an all-around performance with 18 points, 11 excellent digs, and nine excellent receptions. Meanwhile, Meneses contributed eight markers as Farm Fresh finished the preliminaries with a 5-4 record and 17 points.
“So very rewarding para sa amin ‘yun, sa amin ni Riri, kasi ang tagal naming nawala sa volleyball. Kung makuha namin eto, eto ‘yung isa sa pinaka-memorable na moments namin sa career namin sa volleyball. So I think hanggang dulo ilalaban namin,” Molina said.
“Yung sa akin kasi, parang masasabi ko, ito yung pinakamalaking hugot. Ito yung hinihintay kong maging comeback. Every day talaga, nagtitiyaga at ilalaban kahit ano mangyari,” Meneses added.
