Khat Bell hopes the stars will align for another Philippine volleyball campaign.
Khat Bell showed no signs of rust in her Philippine comeback as she led the Chery Tiggo Crossovers to another PVL playoff appearance. At 31 years old, her powerful spikes remain, along with her vocal leadership for the Crossovers.
However, Khat’s Reinforced Conference campaign ended in heartbreak. Despite her 40-point effort, the Crossovers were unable to fend off PLDT in a five-set quarterfinals thriller.
Up next for Khat is a return to the United States starting this September.
“I have signed a two-year contract for LOVB [League One Volleyball] of the States. I’m playing for the Austin team, that doesn’t start until November. And then that’s also, we have AU, which is Athletes Unlimited…the [reported] start date is September 18th, so I’m supposed to be there to start training,” she shared during her exit interview.
But if she could have it her way, Khat hopes for another PVL return. After all, the love is mutual between her and the Philippine fans already.
Fortunately, circumstances seem aligned for her third Philippine run.
“Good thing about that [her US stints] is depending on the schedule of the Reinforced Conference in the Philippines, if it’s between May and November, I will obviously love to be here. And then that would be my thing, just playing here in the summertime in the offseason and playing back in the States in the cool season,” she explained.
In Chery Tiggo, Khat was able to play with former PSL rivals including F2’s Ara Galang and Aby Maraño. She and Galang formed a potent duo in the Crossovers’ Reinforced Conference run.
And for Khat, this is what makes her Philippine comeback special. It’s a silver lining despite a heartbreaking end to the conference.
“I think it’s special and different because I got to experience playing with girls I’ve always competed against. So being able to have those relationships and that dynamic with those girls and be part of, you know, being on their side of the net has been great,” she said.
“You know, they’ve come in and they just welcomed me with open arms and everybody’s just so loving, so caring and this has been just, this is like being home for me and it’s been very special to me.”
As Khat leaves for the States, she has one final advice for the Crossovers: Just keep working hard.
“The things that we work on in practice and things that they know they should be getting better at, just keep those in mind. And watch lots of film and video, just try to get better just individually by yourself, that way you can elevate people around you. So just keep working hard and stay steady,” she said.
Chery Tiggo will return by November for the All-Filipino Conference. While Khat will be in the States by then, she’s left a foundation for the Crossovers to build on.
“Mas naging inspiration nila si Khat. Leadership, work, etiquette niya. Especially during games, pag naglaro talagang all-out, so na-inspire ‘yung mga local natin. ‘Yun ‘yung mga natutunan namin o ‘yung mga player namin sa kanya,” said head coach Kung Fu Reyes.
Banner image courtesy of the Premier Volleyball League.