FILE – Nxled young setter Kamille Cal. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — Kamille Cal strives for better showing in her second season in the pros with the Nxled Chameleons in the 2024 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference starting on February 20.
“This is my second conference so I expect myself to perform better since I learned a lot from the previous conference,” Cal told reporters in Filipino after Nxled placed third in the Akari Invitational Cup on Wednesday.
Cal ran the plays of Japanese coach Taka Minowa in Nxled’s PVL debut in the second All-Filipino Conference, where they put up a gallant stand and earned four wins in the 12-team field.
READ: PVL: Kamille Cal can’t wait for reunion with Ivy Lacsina
The young playmaker, who opted to turn pro even before finishing her residency at the University of the Philippines, is eager to take her game to the next level as the Chameleons seek to improve their previous record.
“From all the experiences that I have gathered and the things I learned from coach Taka since then. I expect myself to be smarter and I expect the progress to be significant,” she said.
Nxled signed Ivy Lacsina, the team’s biggest recruit yet before she suffered a minor right knee injury that will sideline her in their first few games, and middle blocker Jaila Atienza to boost its line up.
READ: PVL: Nxled Chameleons hope to make big leap in coming season
Cal didn’t have a hard time getting along with her new teammates and strengthening her connection to the holdovers bannered by Jho Maraguinot, May Luna, Lycha Ebon, Krich Macaslang, and Dani Ravena.
“It’s easy to get along with our new players. We’re friends even before and they’re not hard to work with. They’re very flexible and they have great character and great attitude,” she said.
The Nxled setter is grateful for their experience in the Akari Invitational Cup, where they faced their sister team Akari, UAAP teams Adamson and Ateneo, and NCAA’s Arellano and University of Perpetual Help in their preparation for PVL.
“It’s really important because want to know and we want to see where we are and what are the things we need to work on. This kind of league will test your character as a player by going up against non-PVL teams,” Cal said.