The return of Jolina dela Cruz and Lorene Toring has been a long time coming, and Farm Fresh arranged a special and well-deserved welcome for the Foxies’ debutants.

“I am happy, and I missed feeling the pressure again,” Dela Cruz said in Filipino after starting and providing quality minutes for her new team. “It’s a privilege, and I thank coach [Benson Bocboc] for giving me and Lorene the opportunity to play again and to be included as starters.”

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Dela Cruz suffered an ACL injury late in 2023, cutting short her impactful run with the now-defunct F2 Logistics. Her recovery began almost exactly a year ago with surgery, marking the start of her journey back to the court. For the La Salle alumna, this return seemed perfectly timed.

Skipped draft

“When I entered the court earlier, I was praying because it was also here at PhilSports where I got injured … Slowly, I am overcoming the fear,” Dela Cruz added. She went on to deliver a game-high 20 points, built on 18 attacks and two aces, to lead Farm Fresh (3-3) to a 25-22, 26-24, 25-21 victory against winless Nxled (0-6) on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Toring finally made her professional debut after her UAAP stint with Adamson was cut short due to an ACL injury just weeks before the start of Season 86, where she was slated to play her final year.

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Farm Fresh quickly signed the prized middle blocker just 10 days later, allowing her to skip the Rookie Draft in July.

“I am so happy because I waited for this for so long, and I wanted to play for Farm Fresh because my former teammates like Louie [Romero], Trisha [Tubu] and Aprylle [Tagsip] are here,” Toring said.

“I was actually nervous earlier, but slowly, we were finding our groove, and our confidence grew as we built connections with the setters and other teammates,” she added.

Both players are expected to be vital for Bocboc’s squad, especially Dela Cruz, who consistently delivers big numbers. She now provides additional firepower alongside Tubu as Farm Fresh builds momentum. With this win, the Foxies have already matched their most victories in a single conference.

If this game is any indication, the Foxies are poised to improve as their chemistry develops and the two newcomers gain confidence. Their upcoming game against Chery Tiggo, featuring new addition Risa Sato from Creamline, will serve as a strong barometer of Farm Fresh’s potential.

“I think they are still feeling things out because this is the first game of the new year, the [resumption] of PVL, so there’s still a lot of built-up pressure,” Bocboc said. “We can see their movements are still controlled, so hopefully, we can adjust heading into our second game.”