Trisha Tubu and Farm Fresh Foxies in the PVL All-Filipino Conference game against ZUS Coffee. –PVL PHOTO
Farm Fresh is in its sixth conference in the PVL under its third head coach in Benson Bocboc.
He could end up staying forever.
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“Coach Boc’s system is a big help because from our first game to now we can see the progress of the team,” Trisha Tubu, who has been with the Foxies since joining the league, told the Inquirer on Thursday.
“Every practice, every game after the game, Coach Boc really reads the stats after the game,” Tubu added. “So the next day we will all study (the stats) to know where we (need) to send the ball most of the time and try to cover it in training.
“His statistics-based approach is a big help because as they say, numbers don’t lie,” Tubu said.
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After suffering two straight losses to start the season, Farm Fresh picked up its second win in 2020 with a 26-24, 13-25, 25-21, 25-19 triumph over sister team ZUS Coffee on Thursday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Consequence.
Tubu played a big role, falling just four points shy of her career-best performance after scoring 28 points, all but one on offense, on a solid 48.21 percent efficiency.
“Coach Boc is really driven by stats. With the numbers now you can really see how you’re doing and what your percentage (point conversion) is because that’s what he focuses on every practice,” Tubu said. “When I played before, I thought I was doing well, but when I look at my rate, I have a lot of low-converting attempts.”
Alyssa Bertolano, meanwhile, added 12 points, 12 excellent digs and 12 excellent receptions.
New goal
Before Bocboc’s arrival, Farm Fresh qualified for the playoffs only once – in the last Reinforced Conference.
The team has a new goal with the former La Salle assistant.
“What I see now is that (the Foxies) have to win (again and again) and I think they can and that’s why I’m here,” Bocboc told the Inquirer in a separate interview.
The Foxies have made progress despite failing to add setter Alohi Robins-Hardy to the squad, and despite yet to include newcomer Lorene Toring and newly signed veteran hitter Rachel Anne Daquis.
“As you can see, we only have a few players who are not too tall. We have Trisha, but we only have three middle blockers and a libero, so we are trying to control everything,” he said.
“It’s hard to boost their confidence because they put in three times the effort compared to other teams that are bigger and stronger.”
As one of the key players who has witnessed the team’s ups and downs, Tubu does not feel burdened to lead the Foxies.
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“It’s not hard for me because my job is just to hit the ball and (my teammates) will have my back,” the Adamson hitter said. “Our confidence increases even when we have losses… We have been working on the reasons for our losses, so it is a different Farm Fresh now.”