Zoi Faki was in awe of the Choco Mucho faithful who watched their 2024 PVL Reinforced Conference match on Thursday.
Faki was serenaded by the purple-clad fans and a drumline that hyped up the crowd from the warmup period until the end of their match against Cignal.
However, Choco Mucho’s debut in the 2024 Reinforced Conference ended in dismay, falling to the HD Spikers in straight sets, 18-25, 21-25, 16-25, for a 0-1 record in Pool B.
Still, it was a dream come true moment for Faki.
“The experience was amazing. It was truly amazing to get out of the tunnel for warm-ups and just listen to the Choco Mucho fans. It’s one of my first times actually living something like this,” said the 6-foot-1 Greek outside hitter.
“Well, we didn’t get the result that we wanted, so I couldn’t say it was a good first experience, but we got a lot of lessons from this game today, and we’re moving forward,” she continued, eager to rebound.
The Flying Titans struggled throughout the match, with Faki being the lone player to hit double digits in scoring with 13 points on a low clip of 13-of-50 in spikes. She added 10 excellent receptions and eight digs to her name.
(C) PVL Images
The 25-year-old Greek spiker previously played professionally for Apollon Kalamatas and AO Thiras in Greece, while spending her collegiate years at the University of Pittsburgh and San Diego State University.
She admitted that her troubles came from the outstanding defense of the HD Spikers, as despite the variety of shots she attempted, their opponents were able to pick everything up.
“I would say that the level is good. It’s great. Filipinos have a lot of defense, and I think that it was very clear to me today,” said Faki, as converted libero Judith Abil and the Cignal squad played tremendously.
“Even if I was taking smart shots, even if I was going with power, Cignal did a great job of getting the ball up. So I would say it’s a hard level to play if you’re not used to the rallies,” she continued.
With the first game done, Faki looks forward to earning wins for Choco Mucho and its fans but shared that time is needed to accomplish that, as chemistry plays a key factor in the matches.
The Flying Titans will take on Akari next before playing ZUS Coffee, Capital1, and the defending champion Petro Gazz.
“I think that we’re playing great. I think that we have a lot of potential. I think the passion is there, but we need time. It’s a fresh, new lineup. I think we have it inside us, and we’ll keep going,” said Faki.
