Third overall pick Julia Coronel will be one of the new faces to watch out for when the 2024-2025 PVL All-Filipino Conference tips off.
After an extended tour of duty with Alas Pilipinas, former La Salle captain Julia Coronel will finally make her PVL debut in the 2024-2025 All-Filipino Conference which kicks off on November 9.
Coronel was picked third overall by the Galeries Tower Highrisers in the inaugural PVL draft last July and will be joining longtime teammate and top pick Thea Gagate as the final lottery picks to make their long-awaited professional debut in the six-month-long conference.
As she awaits her pro debut, Coronel is eager to bring the countless lessons she has picked up as a national team member, where she was an understudy to the iconic Jia Morado-de Guzman.
“‘Yun talaga ‘yung madadala ko sa team ko ngayon. Parang marami ako nakikitang ibang diskarte na magagamit ko rin sa current team ko, and ‘yun ang hopeful ako na ma-apply ko talaga throughout the season,” Coronel told reporters during the All-Filipino press conference at the Novotel Araneta in Cubao.
However, the preparations haven’t been easy, as her national team commitments prevented her from joining the Highrisers immediately after the draft. Given this, she had a shorter time to adjust to a new system and environment ahead of her pro debut.
On top of this, as their playmaker, Colonel was also responsible for getting to know her spikers’ preferred sets and overall tendencies.
“Well, definitely, hindi siya naging madali at first. May mga naging struggle ako kasi siyempre it’s a new system that I have to get used to, new players that I have to connect with. And of course coaching staff din bago rin for me…And so ayun, it was quite difficult at first,” she shared.
Fortunately, the setter was quick to hurdle over the learning curves. Days before their season opener on November 9, Coronel assured that she was connecting just fine with her new teammates.
“So far, mas nakaka-connect na rin ako with the team and sobrang happy ako makasama sila and nakikita ko ‘yung progress namin. At this point, nakikita ko rin talaga ‘yung bunga ng nagiging training namin and hopefully mag-translate talaga sa upcoming conference,” said the former La Salle skipper.
Fast learner
Galeries Tower finished their Reinforced Conference campaign last July with a winless record. Despite this, the squad forced five-setters against top dogs Akari and Cignal before falling short in the endgame.
So for head coach Lerma Giron, Julia Coronel’s addition is a welcome one. According to her, the setter’s arrival has already “boosted” their offensive flow, which is a welcome development given their concerns on that side of the game.
“Kumbaga talagang di rin biro ‘yung pinagdaanan namin nung training, nung offseason. Talagang we tried to patiently figure out ano ‘yung lack namin last season. And ‘yun nga, with the addition of Julia, malaking bagay samin to boost the offense,” said Giron.
Giron also vouched for her setter’s adaptability despite the early learning curves she encountered.
“Fast learner ‘to eh, ‘yan ang gusto ko! Talagang we try din na i-figure out sa paraan na maihahain namin sa kanya para maka-adapt dun sa system. And ayun, eventually nagulat na lang ako one day, ang bilis niya na mag-set…’Yung sistema na sinasabi namin sa kanya nagki-click na,” said the former Adamson mentor.
Galeries Tower will open their All-Filipino Conference campaign against the Akari Chargers at the Philsports Arena on Saturday. Like the rest of the league, they will be playing in a lengthier-than-usual PVL conference which will stretch from November up to early April.
Given this, part of their preparations is ensuring the team’s conditioning for such a setup.
“Well actually, sa maabot at makakaya namin, nag-program talaga kami na for ganon kahaba…Talagang dito patibayan nalang nang loob eh, nang katawan. So ‘yun ‘yung lagi namin binibilin sa kanila. So lahat talaga, lahat sinasalang, lahat sinasanay doon sa sistema as much as we can,” said Giron.
Banner image courtesy of the Premier Volleyball League.