By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Farm Fresh Foxies are taking their off-season preparations to another level after tapping Japanese tactician Hideo Suzuki to become their team consultant in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL).
Suzuki, the former coach of the Kurashiki Ablaze squad that won the PVL Invitational Conference, is set to revamp Farm Fresh’s system after a disappointing outing in their debut season.
After 11 games in the elimination round of the recently concluded PVL All-Filipino Conference, Farm Fresh only managed to win two games and finished the season in 10th place.
With Suzuki’s arrival in the Farm Fresh operational office, the Japanese coach is set to bring the winning mentality and tradition he is known for during his previous mentoring stints.
Proof is how he handled Kurashiki when they beat the talented Creamline Cool Smashers team several months ago during the championship series.
The Japanese squad edged Creamline in five thrilling sets, 19-25, 25-23, 25-19, 20-25, 15-13, and wrapped up their Invitational Conference domination in unbeaten fashion.
According to the Farm Fresh franchise, Suzuki will be working side-by-side with their current head coach, Jerry Yee, after the holiday season.
“His proven track record and coaching prowess are assets that will undoubtedly elevate the team’s performance. We look forward to a season of growth and success under his guidance,” said Farm Fresh team manager Kiara Cruz.
Suzuki will look to hone the talent of top spiker and uprising superstar Trisha Tubu who became the team’s top scorer in the All-Filipino Conference.
Aside from Tubu, the franchise is also looking into the free agency list to add some veteran presence to the team for the next conferences.
