PVL-bound Nisperos stresses faith in young Akari squad

MANILA, Philippines – Ateneo standout Faith Nisperos expressed a lot of belief in the potential of young Premier Volleyball League (PVL) team Akari Chargers as she selected the team as her new destination after completing UAAP Season 85 with the Blue Eagles.

Deciding to forgo her remaining years of eligibility with the Katipunan-based squad, Nisperos said that the Chargers show a lot of room for improvement for herself, which made them stand out among the seven pro teams that expressed interest in signing her.

Even as the Chargers have failed to make the semifinals in the PVL in their first two conferences, Nisperos believes that with the club finally getting the hang of being in the PVL competition, there will come a time that they will realize the full power of the Chargers.

“Syempre, [we’re] a relatively new team. I’m well aware na nasa building phase [pa] yung team. But looking at the roster, malaki yung potential na pwede ma-work with the veterans and young players.” Nisperos said in a press conference on Tuesday.

“[For] me, I guess, I just need time to gel with them more and develop the overall skills as well and most especially the chemistry. Kasi, the skills are there, but of course, nothing beats a good, solid chemistry,” she added.

As for how she wants to develop herself, Nisperos wants to measure herself against the best of the best, which was part of why she decided to leave Ateneo early and head to the pros.

Rather than pressure herself to perform well from the get-go, the wing spiker is simply looking forward to learning from her teammates and foes alike.

“All the teams are very competitive and that’s one of the reasons why I want to be there kasi I want to step out of my comfort zone,” said Nisperos, who will join the likes of Dindin Santiago-Manabat, Erika Raagas, Michelle Cobb and Jaja Maraguinot, among others in Akari.

“Every team has their set of key players so syempre lahat yan first time ko makakalaro and it will be a very high competition. Going in there I'm excited and of course ako naman expectation ko, whatever talents and skills I have, I'm here to contribute that to my future team and of course, competing with a lot of MVP-caliber players I am very excited to learn from them and syempre experience na being on the court being with or against them,” she added.

Nisperos has yet to reveal if she will suit up for Akari as soon as the PVL Invitational Conference kicks off next month or if she will wait for later on this year.

In her final year in Ateneo, Nisperos and the Blue Eagles failed to reach the Final Four for the first time since UAAP Season 71.