Tubu's gamble pays off

Alta Sports5 hours ago · 71 views

Photo: PVL

By Rachel Gonzales

It was worth the leap of faith for Trisha Tubu after she only played one University Athletic Association (UAAP) season for Adamson University and turned pro as one of Farm Fresh’s pioneering players when the franchise entered the Premier Volleyball League three years ago.

Tubu, a one-and-done star in college, has finally reaped the fruits of her hard work after going through several heartbreaking conferences, including last year’s Reinforced, when they emerged as the top seed but got eliminated in the quarterfinal by the No. 8 Akari.

Photo: PVL

The four-time PVL Best Opposite Spiker refused to miss the semifinals this time, capturing the elusive berth after Farm Fresh took down Nxled, composed of the core of defending champion Petro Gazz, 25-17, 25-20, 25-19, in a knockout Play-In game of the 2026 All-Filipino Conference on Tuesday at Filoil Centre in San Juan City.

“To be honest, it feels amazing. This used to be just a dream,” Tubu said. “Through the process and with the help of everyone, we worked hard for this. It’s very fulfilling.”

It took Tubu and the Foxies with several coaching changes from coach Jerry Yee, Japanese Shota Sato, Benson Bocboc, and Italian Alessandro Lodi before finding the right man for the job in Koji Tsuzurabara, who steered Petro Gazz to a maiden All-Filipino title last year.

Photo: PVL

“We’ve had different coaches and systems, and I think that helped us. Adjusting isn’t easy, but we’ve gotten used to it,” she said.

“We’ve applied what we learned, and this system really improved not just our skills but our mindset. That’s why we believe we can rise.”

The 25-year-old rising star, who is the league’s second Best Scorer with 189 points and top spiker with 40.99 percent attack rate, believes that the “challenger” mindset instilled by Tsuzurabara has helped unlock the potential of the Foxies.

“Our coach always tells us that we’re challengers. But at the same time, it’s a challenge for us too. How long are we going to stay challengers?” Tubu said.

“We approach every game knowing we have to work for every point. Like coach says, don’t think about winning, focus on how you win each point. And our real opponent isn’t the team on the other side, but ourselves. If you beat yourself, you win the game.”

Tubu and the young franchise are finally making their semis debut against Cignal on Saturday before facing PLDT and Creamline.

It may be their first time but Tubu is confident with the experience provided by veterans Ara Galang, Ces Molina, Ria Meneses, Royse Tubino, setter Alohi Robins-Hardy, and libero Bia General.

“This may be new for Farm Fresh, but not for our veterans. Their experience helps us a lot,” she said. “For every game, our goal is still to win. We’ll just take it step by step.”

All comments 5