Chery Tiggo Crossovers Ara Galang and Farm Fresh Foxies Jolina dela Cruz during a PVL All-FIlipino Conference game. –PVL PHOTOS
MANILA, Philippines — Ara Galang said she is happy to see former teammate Jolina Dela Cruz return from an ACL injury and show great progress in the 2024-25 PVL All-Filipino Conference.
Galang on Saturday faced her ex-F2 Logistics teammate Dela Cruz for the first time since the latter suffered a knee injury last 2023.
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READ: PVL: Jolina Dela Cruz shines in return from ACL injury
The veteran Chery Tiggo star went up against the fit-again spiker of Farm Fresh and helped her team to a 21-25, 25-14, 25-17, 25-20 win on Saturday at Philsports Arena.
“I’m so proud. I remember I wasn’t able to watch her comeback game, but I saw the result. I said, ‘Wow.’ I thought, ‘She’s incredible.’ I could tell how much she missed it,” said Galang, who scored 20 points compared to Dela Cruz’s seven points. “But that’s just who she is. Props to all the work she put in all year or during those months of rehab and recovery, both physically and mentally.”
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Dela Cruz has been shining as Farm Fresh’s starter, scoring 20 points last Tuesday.
When Dela Cruz signed with the Foxies last year, she shared Galang’s motivational message about her injury as the 30-year-old Crossover also had a major knee injury during her years with La Salle in the UAAP.
“It’s so inspiring, you know, how she made it look easy. But we all know it wasn’t easy at all. So, it’s just really something to be proud of. That’s why I told her to just keep going,” she said.
Jolina Dela Cruz stars for Farm Fresh in her first game in over a year.–PVL PHOTO
Galang may be proud of her ex-teammate-turned-rival but she kept her focused on Chery Tiggo, recovering from a first-set loss and a five-set meltdown against Petro Gazz last Tuesday.
“We were more focused this time. In the first set, I think we were still adjusting, like we didn’t know what to do and were waiting on each other,” said Galang. “But by the second set, it couldn’t be like that anymore. What happened was done, and we needed to redeem ourselves—not just individually, but as a whole, as one team.”
Galang was also hungry to bounce back from her four-point performance last game as she hammered 15 kills, four blocks, and an ace to improve the Crossovers record to 5-3.
SCHEDULE: PVL All-Filipino Conference 2024-2025
“It felt like we just let Petro Gazz [take over in the last game]. Until they caught up, took the lead, and eventually won. The momentum, which was really with us, shifted to them, and it was hard to get it back,” she said.
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The former UAAP MVP and the Crossovers seek more consistency as they battle the ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles on January 30.
“Given that ZUS was our opponent, it was more important for us to focus on our movements and apply our system. Whatever the coaches wanted us to do, we needed to adapt and execute it correctly,” Galang said.
