While finalized at the last minute, Meegan Hart and a returning Sutadta Jarawat came through for NXLed and Galeries in the PVL Reinforced Conference opening.
Ahead of the PVL Reinforced Conference opening on Tuesday, there was quite a fuss at the Philsports Arena. All of a sudden, the Galeries Tower Highrisers and NXLed Chameleons had made last-second changes to their respective imports. In fact, their 2PM game came close to being “All-Filipino” due to the imports’ uncertainty at the time.
Fortunately, everything was resolved internally between the two teams. By 2:20 PM, it was clear that Galeries would field Thai spiker Sutadta Jarawat in place of Brazilian Monique Helena, and NXLed the American middle blocker Meegan Hart instead of Jiang Xunyao.
And by the time it was over at 5:22 PM, it was hard not to be impressed by their respective debuts in the 2024 Reinforced Conference.
‘Up until the last minute’
Per PVL commissioner Sherwin Malonzo, Hart had been NXLed’s preferred choice heading into the conference. However, the team took “up to the last minute” with finalizing their decision.
Consequently, Meegan Hart only arrived last Monday for the Reinforced Conference, and only had “one day of training” per deputy Raffy Mosuela. Yet despite this unfamiliarity, and possibly jet lag, Hart fired for a game-high 19 points in her debut.
Even more impressive, it came in a grueling five-setter against the Highrisers, who equally came close to stealing the opener.
“It was great. It’s always great. I’m feeling really welcomed in the Philippines. It’s been a fun experience, it’s been awesome and I’m really excited to be here with the team for the coming games,” Hart said post-game.
While it’s only one game, Hart is confident with her fit in NXLed. It also helps that her teammates and coaching staff have been supportive, and in giving her the necessary confidence to thrive in the PVL.
“The girls have been super supportive, helping me out with miscommunication things like the calls…I think it hasn’t been too hard. I think it’s happened fast, but I’m grateful to my teammates, coaches for helping me out.”
Hart also gave her first impression of Philippine volleyball, which she called “a lot faster” and “scrappy”.
“Plays are a little bit longer so I’m adjusting [to the style of] play. Overall it’s been really good, I think fast transition but I’ve been welcomed with open arms,” Meegan Hart said, again thanking her teammates and coaches.
Familiar face
Over in the Galeries camp is Sutadta Jarawat, or “Chuuwi”, who makes her Philippine comeback after five years. Chuuwi previously played with the now-defunct Perlas Spikers, who lost in the Finals against the Philippine Army Lady Troopers in the 2019 Reinforced Conference.
Per Malonzo, Chuuwi had come in to replace Helena with a health concern plaguing the Brazilian: “Ang pagkakaintindi ko, nastrain ‘yung katawan, so hindi makapag-perform so they had to change at the last minute.”
Like Hart, Chuuwi only landed on Monday, at around “7:00 PM” per Galeries assistant Godfrey Okumu. Making matters worse, Chuuwi had to miss Galeries’ Tuesday morning training, as she had to process her documents to ensure her PVL Reinforced Conference debut.
Chuuwi, though, would produce 14 markers in the three-hour contest against NXLed, making her Galeries’ second-highest scorer on Tuesday. Quite a feat for someone that’s yet to even study Galeries’ system heading into the contest.
“She played so well. She’s very fantastic. Very few people can do what she did. And as you can see, there’s a lot that she can bring to the table, so we are looking forward to that,” Galeries assistant coach Godfrey Okumu told The GAME in an exclusive interview.
“I believe she plays in Thailand so Asian teams play almost the same system, that’s why it was easier for her to come in today and just straight to the game,” he added, when asked about Chuuwi’s quick adjustment to Galeries.
What’s next?
According to Malonzo, Meegan Hart and Sutadta Jarawat will now be Galeries and NXLed’s imports for the duration of the Reinforced Conference. Given this, both squads should now look into further integrating the two in their respective systems.
“The only time na pwede ka magpalit is…number one kung nainjure ‘yung player…during the conference, you can only replace the player if she gets injured, or number two, abandonment of commitment. So if she suddenly disappears, goes home, or biglang ayoko na maglaro…biglang nilayasan sila, that’s the time they can replace,” he explained.
Galeries and NXLed will return to action on Saturday, July 20, with NXLed going up against Chery Tiggo at 2PM, and Galeries against PLDT at 4PM. Now, both Galeries and NXLed can finally focus on the Reinforced Conference with baggage lifted off their backs.
Banner Image courtesy of the Premier Volleyball League.
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