Tushova leaves with head held high after giving all for Capital1

MANILA, Philippines – Almost, but not enough.

The Capital1 Solar Spikers went ever so close to overcoming the fancied Cignal HD Spikers after Russian import Marina Tushova uncorked a 50-point performance in the quarterfinals matchup in the PVL Reinforced Conference at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan Saturday evening.

But the Solar Spikers, who were in their first playoffs in just their second conference as a team in the PVL, just couldn’t get enough to keep their Cinderella run going. 

Tushova reflected on the fight she gave for Capital1, fresh after losing by the slimmest of margins in five sets.

“I hope that fans enjoyed this game. I saw that my team enjoyed this game, too. I gave everything for this game,” said the Russian hitter. 

“We need just [needed] a little bit more. And this... I don't care about my record today. I wanted [it] more [for] our team to win, unfortunately. But still I hope we will have another opportunity.”

In a tournament filled to the brim with talented imports, Tushova stood a cut above the rest as she reset the PVL scoring record not once or twice, but thrice in her nine games in the league. She set the standard for reinforcements, and towed a young team deep into the season.

Despite this, Tushova knows there’s unfinished business to be done if she gets the chance to come back to the Philippines. Even as she heads to another country and another club this time around, Tushova already has plans to return.

“I hope that I will come back here to play again. And I hope that I will be better next year. And I hope that Capital1 will improve too. And I hope that I can bring something more to this team, this amazing team,” she said.

Tushova was undoubtedly the centerpiece of Capital1’s unlikely run to the quarterfinals. But even as she was responsible for a big chunk of the team’s success, she said that she was also able to learn much from her team and experience.

“So, the team taught me a lot about beliefs in yourself. So,[it was] here [that] I started to believe in myself. Thanks to my team and thanks to fans,” said Tushova.

“They thank me a lot, they support me a lot. And I think they, my team, my coach, everyone, our manager, everyone from this team believes in me more than [myself]. And this brings me a lot like, 'Marina, look, everyone believes in you. Just believe in yourself.' And I learned it here and I hope I will improve on this more.”

After her record-breaking performances here in the Philippines, Tushova is headed to Azerbaijan to play for a club team there. But as she’s impacted the volleyball community in the country, she’s taking a piece of the Philippines with her.

“I have this [barrier] and still my team coaches say to me like, 'Marina, relax, enjoy, smile.' Yeah, but sometimes I'm too mad like, how is it possible to smile when you work hard? But yes, [Filipinos] teach me this. You can enjoy it and you can do hard work,” said Tushova. 

“You can, I [didn’t] know, yes. You can smile and you can work at the same time… I like it. I hope to keep it.”