As Akari stays in her corner, Dani Ravena ignores haters

MANILA, Philippines – Naysayers are out of mind for Akari Chargers libero Dani Ravena as she chooses to stick with those who believe in her after criticisms online swirled about alleged nepotism concerning her roster spot in the PVL.

Ravena was the target of flak as she was tagged a so-called “nepo baby”, implying that she only has a contract with the team because of the position of her mother Mozzy, who is team manager of the Chargers.

After initially addressing it with a statement on social media platform Instagram earlier this week, Ravena once again put down her doubters.

“I think I’m done with proving myself kasi to anybody else kasi I just want to make sure na I am worth it dito sa team,” a visibly emotional Ravena said during the post-game press conference. 

“Kasi nakikita ko, I have talented coaches, talented teammates. So, no matter what other people will say, yung paniniwalaan ko is kung ano yung sinasabi ng coaches ko, ano sinasabi ng teammates ko and I’ll never take this opportunity for granted.”

At the end of another comeback win for the Chargers, Ravena seemed to have felt the win a little more than her teammates as she was in tears and headed to hug her coaches when they finished the fifth set.

But after all that transpired in the past few days, the UAAP champion said that she also needed to make her case heard before she ultimately moved on from the hate.

“Sorry for being emotional. I guess, it’s just something that I really had to let out,” she said with a cheeky smile. 

“But again, I can never do it alone. The team will never win just because of one person. So, I think that’s the highlight of this team is that nagtulungan kami lahat to get that goal,” she continued.

Ravena also had a special guest in the stands as older brother Kiefer stopped by the PhilSports Arena in Pasig to watch the game. Armed with support from not just her team, but also her family, she now has the strength to keep herself grounded, even with the haters.

“I think yung pinaka motivation ko is naniniwala sakin yung mga important na tao, which are again, my coaches, my teammates, my family. From that pa lang, I think I have enough motivation na to push myself despite all the criticism,” said Ravena. 

“I think I’ve grown into understanding that it will never go away. I just have to live with it. Exceed expectations and just really reach my full potential on and off the court. I really do my best.”

With two games remaining for the Chargers in Pool play, Ravena eyes contributing to her team even more.

Akari plays Zus Coffee on Thursday, August 1, still here at the PhilSports Arena.