Marina Tushova left a remarkable impression on her first foray in the Premier Volleyball League.
The Russian bomber took the PVL by storm with her unparalleled firepower and professionalism to turn fledgling Capital1 into a contender that shook the balance of power in the league.
Despite falling short of carrying the Solar Spikers through to the semifinals, Tushova saved her best performance for last as she reset the league’s scoring record by dropping 50.
Tushova almost single-handedly carried Capital1 in a grueling five-set loss to eventual semifinalist Cignal, 19-25, 34-36, 25-16, 25-22, 12-15, in the knockout quarterfinal on Saturday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
Breaking the all-time scoring high for the third time, Tashova’s efforts in her farewell run cannot be left unnoticed as she earned the nod for the honor of the last PVL Press Corps Player for the Week presented by Pilipinas Live of the import-laden conference for the period of August 20 to 24.
The 25-year-old winger received her third recognition given by print and online reporters covering the PVL, which is streamed live and on-demand via the Pilipinas Live App and www.pvl.ph.
Humble in victory and gracious in defeat, Tushova was just grateful for the opportunity to showcase her talents in front of adoring Filipino fans and contribute to the Solar Spikers’ mission of becoming a competitive club.
"The team is so sad, for real. But it's a great lesson for us. And always, our lose games, you always learn more from lost games than from won games. So, today it was like this and I'm so happy. Cignal did a great job. Congratulations to the team. I wish them good luck for the semifinals," said Tushova, who is set to play in Azerbaijan next.
Tushova first shattered the two-year scoring record set by Dominican Prisilla Rivera of 44 by a point in a five-set win over Choco Mucho last August 3. She erased it a week after with a 49-point explosion over Nxled in another five-setter.
Against the No. 2 seed HD Spikers, the 6-foot hitter submitted 47 attacks, two kill blocks and a service ace, she laced with 16 excellent receptions and 12 digs for an all-around game.
Tushova bested Oly Okaro of unbeaten Akari, Creamline's Erica Staunton, PLDT's Lena Samoilenko, Wilma Salas of Petro Gazz, and Cignal's Gel Cayuna and Riri Meneses for the weekly plum.
She finished with a total of 301 points on top of bringing Capital1 to its first-ever playoffs stint following a one-win debut in the All-Filipino Conference.
"I hope that fans enjoyed this game. I saw that my team enjoyed this game, too. I gave everything for this game. We need just a little bit more. And this... I don't care about my record today. I wanted our team to win, unfortunately,” she said.
“I hope we will have another opportunity. 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."
