Nxled coach savors good problem

Nxled head coach Ettore Guidetti welcomes the good problem of having a stacked roster following a serious shoring up for the coming 2026 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference.

Taking in 11 players from four-time champion Petro Gazz, which took a leave of absence, led by three-time Most Valuable Player Brooke Van Sickle and seasoned winger Myla Pablo from Petro Gazz, the Chameleons have turned into a top contender.

Winless in the Reinforced Conference, Guidetti now has at his disposal a good mix of veteran and promising stars for the season-ending tournament slated to begin on 31 January.

But he’s not complaining.

“Honestly, I faced worse problems in the last 10-15 years but that’s (deep lineup) a good problem. That’s a good one,” the Italian mentor said.

Van Sickle and Pablo along with MJ Phillips and rookie setter Jules Tolentino were the last pieces added by Nxled, bringing valuable experience and championship pedigree.

They joined other former Angels Jonah Sabete, Djanel Cheng, Nicole Tiamzon, Bang Pineda, Ranya Musa, AA Adolfo, and Jellie Tempiatura, which in a way turned the Chameleons into the “virtual defending champions” with their revamped composition.

Petro Gazz won the AFC and Reinforced Conference last year.

Although other teams have also made significant moves to bolster their respective rosters, acquiring an almost intact crew has given Nxled a huge advantage in terms of chemistry and familiarity, considering the short buildup time.

“I mean, in a way, for us it’s a good thing because we are not the only ones, so everybody has to find chemistry,” he said.

The Chameleons also signed a trusted and passionate leader in Aby Marano, middle blocker Aduke Ogunsanya and setter Joyme Cagande to guide holdovers Lyann de Guzman, Chiara Permentilla, Krich Macaslang, Lucille Almonte, Jovelyn Fernandez, EJ Laure and Mayang Nuique.

“I mean, with the mixture of the young girls from Nxled and the veteran girls, I think we can definitely, like, work together and build really good chemistry,” Van Sickle said.

“And also feed off each other like learning things from the young girls and the young girls learning from the older girls, I think it’s a very good combination.”