Injured Ivy Lacsina powers 1st Nxled win; Creamline blasts SGA in Dij Rodriguez debut
MANILA, Philippines – Top Nxled recruit Ivy Lacsina overcame fears of worsening a fresh left knee injury and rallied the Chameleons to their first win of the 2024 PVL All-Filipino Conference after sweeping the winless Galeries Tower Highrisers, 25-21, 25-18, 25-15, on Tuesday, March 12.
The former rookie project of the defunct F2 Logistics led the way with 17 points in just three sets – her best scoring outing yet in a Chameleons uniform – to go with 11 excellent digs, while fellow young hitter Lycha Ebon scored 15 on 11 attacks, 3 blocks, and 1 ace as Nxled broke through with a 1-3 record.
“I think I’m 90% healthy, just so Coach Taka [Minowa] won’t overthink,” Lacsina joked in Filipino. “I can’t really say what percentage I’m at. It depends on what I’m able to do.”
“It’s not totally 100%, but our physical therapists and coaches are doing what they can to lessen the pain,” added Lacsina, one game after captain Dani Ravena accidentally crashed on her left leg on a routine ball reception in Nxled’s loss against Cignal last Thursday, March 7.
Meanwhile, the defending champion Creamline Cool Smashers likewise cruised in the first game of the PhilSports Arena double-header, manhandling the winless upstart Strong Group Athletics (SGA), 25-13, 25-13, 25-19, to rise to a clean 4-0 slate.
Reserve spiker Bernadeth Pons made the most of her spot start with 12 points in just two sets played as captain Alyssa Valdez added 9, also in just two frames.
Notably, Pons’ fellow national beach volleyball team standout Dij Rodriguez made her long-awaited Creamline debut against SGA, tallying 5 points off the bench, and Pons couldn’t be happier for her friend’s entry to professional volleyball.
“I’m happy because our talks of returning to indoor volleyball finally materialized,” she said in Filipino. “We even all wanted to be on the same team, but of course, there’s a reason why one (Sisi Rondina) was separated from us.”
“But still, I’m very happy for [Dij] because we all know that she can perform well,” added Pons, who came to Creamline in June last year, while Rondina landed with sister team Choco Mucho around the same time.
Dolly Versoza paced SGA’s losing cause down a 0-4 record with 8 points, while Alyssa Eroa tallied 14 excellent digs and 12 excellent receptions for Galeries, now also at 0-4 in the standings’ cellar. – Rappler.com