Chery Tiggo rookie Karen Verdeflor shines in PVL debut

MANILA, Philippines – Rookie libero Karen Verdeflor was showered with praise by her team, the Chery Tiggo Crossovers, as she provided vital defense in their three-set win over the Farm Fresh Foxies in the 2024 PVL Reinforced Conference opening day at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City on Tuesday.

The Crossovers’ only pick in the inaugural PVL Rookie Draft, Verdeflor already looked settled with her new team as she fills in the void left by Jen Nierva, who is sidelined due to national team duty with Alas Pilipinas.

Head coach Kung Fu Reyes said that the team really wanted Verdeflor in the ideal situation during the draft, but kept their expectations tempered as they were ninth to pick in the opening round of the draft.

When they got around to choosing their first and only pick of the night, it was a no-brainer to get Verdeflor.

“For Karen, ano naman siya since college days niya, very steady naman yung bata talaga that’s why doon sa draft, swerte kami na umabot kami sa kanya,” Reyes said. 

“‘Yun nga, nagugulat din kami walang kumukuha sa kanya, nagdadasal kami na sana umabot. Luckily, kami ang nakakuha. Actually, siya ang number one sa wish list namin,” he continued.

Though understanding that Verdeflor is her own person, Reyes said that it seemed like Nierva wasn’t even away because of the same level of competitiveness that the Adamson standout was able to bring to the table, alongside veteran libero Buding Duremdes.

“Ang laki ng ano, parang si Jen pa rin yung naglalaro doon eh. Kumbaga, ibang version lang pero yung stability ng ground defense namin, first ball namin, mas nagiging madali yung offense namin because of the good first ball. Doon sa counter attack namin, maganda yung depensa,” he said.

More than Reyes, Verdeflor also drew the admiration of returning Philippine import Khat Bell. A championship winner here in the country, Bell was left in awe of Verdeflor's skills.

“I think she’s absolutely stunning. She’s such a dog and I’ve enjoyed being able to play with her these past few days and I just can’t wait to see her develop even more for sure,” said Bell.

As the Conference goes on, Verdeflor will be eager to contribute more as she steps into the professional volleyball scene.

Chery Tiggo will face the NXLED Chameleons next on Saturday, July 20, still at the PhilSports Arena.