Marina Tushova leads the Capital1 Solar Spikers against the Petro Gaz Angels in the PVL Reinforced Conference. -Marlo Cueto/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — Marina Tushova opened up about her thoughts on Philippine volleyball as she enjoys her first stint in the country with Capital1 in the 2024 PVL Reinforced Conference.
Tushova had an all-round game with 24 points, 10 digs and nine excellent receptions as Capital 1 defeated two-time defending champion Petro Gazz, 26-24, 25-20, 25-18, at the PhilSports Arena on Tuesday night.
The Russian spiker admitted that the level of the game in the Philippines is not as high as in other countries he has played in, including his native France and Switzerland, but he had good things to say about the passion Filipinos have for the sport.
“Sorry if it’s going to be rude, it’s not high quality like sets, passing. But Filipinos always want the best in everything and you enjoy the game and you have a great desire,” Tushova said. “You never know how a team plays against you, like today you don’t know anyone [thought] We will play like this but we were hungry to win and we did it.”
Event: 2024 PVL Reinforced Conference
The 25-year-old attributed the franchise’s biggest win so far in the PVL to the hunger of the Solar Spikers, who turned their fortunes around with a 1-1 record in Pool B.
“I didn’t expect much before the game so I like it more calmly but Filipino people are always very happy and enjoy sharing these emotions so I was like [thankful] But I just need to focus today,” Tushova said.
“We came into the game hungry [to get] Victory. We didn’t think about whether we would win or lose. We want to play, we want to fight and we showed that. Thank you very much to my team.”
Read: PVL: Capital1 shows hope despite defeat, ‘strong’ defense
Capital1 coach Roger Gorayeb is grateful to have Tushova on his side and hopes his local players will learn a lot from the import for future conferences.
“I congratulate this group of players. Marina will be gone after this conference, but she will leave us a good example for the All-Filipino Conference. These players will learn a lot from Marina and I hope they will learn it and keep it in their hearts. LaLaCas for all of us,” Gorayeb said.
Capital1 will look to continue their massive momentum against Cignal on Saturday.
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