Faith Nisperos couldn't hide her excitement as she is set to return for the Akari Chargers in the 2026 PVL All-Filipino Conference after a lengthy knee injury.
After spending several months on the sidelines, Faith Nisperos is set to make her return for the Akari Chargers in the 2026 PVL All-Filipino conference.
Nisperos missed out on the Chargers’ On Tour and Reinforced Conference campaigns due to a knee injury, which she admitted was both physically and mentally challenging.
Still, the former Ateneo standout pointed to the support she received from her teammates as key to getting through the process.
“I’ll be suiting up for this conference, so I’m so excited,” Nisperos told One Sports. “It’s been tough. 'Yun nga, I was sidelined kasi nga I’m injured."
“Now that I’m back, I’m really happy kasi I got the support of my teammates. They were very supportive of me, and they were always cheering me on during rehab.”
Newfound perspective & learnings
While watching games from the outside tested her patience, Nisperos said the experience also gave her a different perspective on the sport.
“Siyempre, 'di naman maiiwasan yung want as an athlete to be part of the team playing talaga,” she said.
“As I was outside watching them play, it was still productive for me kasi ang dami kong natutunan—new perspective for me.”
[ALSO READ: PVL preview: Is Akari ready to take the next step in the All-Filipino Conference?]
Rather than dwell on the frustration, Nisperos chose to treat the injury as a learning phase.
Now cleared to return, Nisperos said the long layoff has only added to her motivation to apply what she picked up while sidelined.
“Siyempre, nandyan yung motivation, the extra motivation,” she said. “From watching sa side tapos not even be able to do anything volleyball-related, sobrang bago sa akin yung gano’ng experience.”
With her recovery behind her, Nisperos is eager to translate those lessons back onto the court when Akari takes on the Choco Mucho Flying Titans on opening day on Saturday, January 31, at the FilOil EcoOil Center in San Juan.
“Now that I’m back, I’m just really excited,” she said. “All the learnings na nakuha ko from just watching, I think I can apply naman this time.”
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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.