Farm Fresh coach Alessandro Lodi kept it real on the Foxies’ breakthrough season after their tough quarterfinal loss to Akari in the 2025 PVL Reinforced Conference.
Farm Fresh’s incredible 7–1 preliminaries run came to an abrupt halt after the top-seeded Foxies were swept by the No. 8 Akari Chargers in the 2025 PVL Reinforced Conference quarterfinals on Monday, November 24, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
Despite the stunning result, head coach Alessandro Lodi remained composed, choosing reflection over regret as he dissected the Foxies’ do-or-die loss of the season.
The Italian tactician admitted that while Farm Fresh entered the playoffs with the best record in the preliminaries, they never viewed themselves as the undisputed top team.
“I need to stress the fact that despite being the number one seed in terms of results in the qualification round, we never felt nor have we ever been the number one team,” Lodi told reporters after the match.
“We won a lot of games, but we knew that everything we got so far was earned, was not to be taken for granted.”
No blame on inexperience
Lodi also shut down the notion that Farm Fresh folded because they lacked playoff mileage. This is only the second time that the Foxies reached the PVL quarterfinals.
“I don’t think it has to do with experience,” he stressed. “It’s just the level of execution you show in a certain moment. Sometimes you can do it, sometimes you can’t.”
[ALSO READ: How Lodi’s data-centric system turned Farm Fresh into a strong PVL Reinforced contender]
He explained that the Foxies’ flaws weren’t new — they just surfaced more sharply in this particular match.
“Our weaknesses were exposed a little bit too much. In other games, we hid them well. Today, we couldn’t.”
Choosing growth over regret
The Foxies coach emphasized that the loss doesn’t erase the conference-long progress of the league’s youngest franchise.
“We should not have regrets. We should just appreciate the path, the development we’ve had, all the good we’ve done,” he said.
Farm Fresh in action during their quarterfinal loss to Akari in the 2025 PVL Reinforced Conference. | Photo: PVL
Despite the early exit, Lodi believes Farm Fresh is still on the right track — and that this loss is simply a part of their evolution.
“One game decides everything. Today we came up short. We take the lesson and move on.”
[ALSO READ: Lodi proud of Farm Fresh’s PVL transformation: ‘More close to a revolution than change’]
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Kiko Demigillo’s journey in sports storytelling began with a deep passion for games and athletes, which eventually grew into a full-fledged career.
Now a dedicated sportswriter, Kiko covers a wide range of beats for One Sports, including the PVL, UAAP, PBA, and various international tournaments.