Although they ultimately fell short, Trisha Tubu and Farm Fresh saw their final game in the 2024 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference against semis-bound Choco Mucho as a fitting end to their campaign.
And that would be a sign of beautiful things to come the Foxies’ way as they continue to improve and learn under head coach Jerry Yee and the plethora of Japanese coaches in their team.
Tubu was at the forefront of Farm Fresh’s final stand during this conference. She erupted for a career-high 32 points on 30 attacks and two blocks, while forcing the Flying Titans to their limit.
However, the Foxies eventually lost in five sets, 15-25, 26-24, 25-21, 21-25, 12-15, on Tuesday night at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
“Masaya po siyempre, nagkaroon ako ng bagong career high, so ang sarap po sa feeling. And natapos po namin itong conference on a high note kahit natalo po kami,” said Tubu as they almost played spoiler to Choco Mucho.
Tubu and Kate Santiago, who also recorded a new career-best 21 points, shared how their floor defense improved by a lot with the arrival of Master Shimizu Mikihiro, Shota Sato, Asaka Tamaru, and Hideo Suzuki.
And their opponents also noticed, as Flying Titans head coach Dante Alinsunurin cited how the Foxies’ defense gave them problems during their final match in the elimination round.
“Credit sa Farm Fresh, tinrabaho talaga nila yung in terms of skills sa receive. Talagang doon kami nahirapan,” said Alinsunurin after their two-hour, 33-minute encounter.
Santiago, meanwhile, added, “Yung mga coaches naman galing Japan, hands on din sila. Like kahit mali ka, ulitin mo talaga hanggang matuto ka. Sobrang perfectionist kaya ilalagay mo na lang din sa sarili mo na ganito nga dapat, hindi yung puchu-puchu lang.
“Kailangan mo mag-work kahit free ball, kailangan perfect pass kasi free ball na nga lang.”
Defense was the emphasis during Farm Fresh’s training sessions, which showed in their games – especially in this match against Choco Mucho and their stunning victory against Chery Tiggo.
And with the continuous guidance of their Japanese mentors, expect the Foxies to even do themselves one better in the next conference.
“Defense and receive po talaga. Last conference, hindi naman po kami lahat pero yung tiyaga niya sa amin… Lagi kaming pinapag-service receive kasi yun ang kailangan sa team, doon din nagsisimula yung puntos. Minsan nga mga five minutes lang yung palo namin eh, puro depensa talaga,” said Santiago on what their focus has been.
“Maybe next season mas hihigitan pa talaga namin kasi kaya naman eh. More improvement and learnings din galing sa mga coaches and sa teammates din,” she added.
Tubu cautioned, however, that skills alone cannot translate to wins. Instead, they need to have the composure, maturity, and poise to finish games.
The Foxies finished the tournament with a 3-8 record in ninth place, one win better than their 2-9 card last conference.
“Yung maturity, yun po yung unti-unti nago-grow sa amin ngayon. Sa susunod na season, Japanese system pa rin, so mas polished sana, at sana sumabay din yung maturity at attitude ng bawat isa,” said Tubu.
