Mean Mendrez did not disappoint in her first run as a starter for PLDT.
The open spiker rewarded the trust of head coach Rald Ricafort with a stirring performance that powered the High Speed Hitters into the win column of the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference.
Mendrez was on fire on offense as she led the balanced scoring of PLDT in its 25-19, 25-12, 25-21, sweep of listless Army on Thursday at the Philsports Arena.
The University of the East product posted 11 points she collected from nine hits and two kill blocks.
Her impressive display drew praise from Ricafort.
“Slowly we can see the likes of Mean Mendrez, Jovy Prado and those out of system who struggled against F2 Logistics getting their confidence,” he said.
Mendrez, who came off the bench in PLDT’s tough five-set loss to F2 Logistics two weeks ago, expressed gratitude for the trust given to her by Ricafort.
“He’s given us his full trust. He allows us to play our game. He’s letting us decide for ourselves. He’s there to give the strategy, but how you play is all on us,” Mendrez said.
The 5-foot-10 spiker added that playing a bigger role for the High Speed Hitters allowed her to get her confidence back after getting buried deep in the bench in previous seasons as a reliever.
Recovery from a minor knee injury two years ago hampered her performance and relegated her to a bench role.
“Of course, I’m happy and thankful. Actually, not just me but also my teammates because of the trust of our coaches,” she said.
“We are confident with how we will play during games because we’re working on that during practice. That’s the reason why we play with lots of confidence every game.”
Mendrez along with Prado, skipper Mika Reyes, Dell Palomata, Michelle Morente, libero Kath Arado and setter Rhea Dimaculangan are expected to use the momentum of their win when they face a dangerous Chery Tiggo side next Tuesday.
