After spending nearly two years on the sidelines due to a right knee injury, Kianna Dy finally made her long-awaited return to competitive volleyball, debuting for the PLDT High Speed Hitters in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) on Tuesday night.
Dy, a 5-foot-10 opposite spiker, last saw action on July 20, 2023, during the round-robin semifinals of the 2023 PVL Invitational Conference while playing for the now-defunct F2 Logistics. That match marked the beginning of a grueling recovery process after she suffered a significant knee injury, forcing her out of action for 558 days.
Her return may have been brief—entering the fourth set against Cignal with PLDT leading 16-7—but it was a moment of triumph for Dy, who has endured a long and difficult road back to the court.
"I guess as a player I’ve been more patient with myself because the journey of me being here right now wasn’t really easy. It’s been a hard year," Dy admitted, her emotions evident after PLDT secured a 25-20, 25-21, 20-25, 25-22 victory over Cignal.
“I’m still trying to get to my 100 percent and I’m slowly getting there. It hasn’t been easy but thankfully with my teammates and my coaches, they make it easier for me kahit hirap na hirap na ako.”
An Unexpected But Welcome Return
PLDT head coach Rald Ricafort revealed that Dy wasn’t initially expected to play in this match, given the cautious approach to her recovery. But when the opportunity arose, they decided to let her get a feel for the game again.
"Actually dapat hindi pa siya today kasi based sa progress ng recovery niya, kakatry niya lang mag back-to-back na hard training, nakaisa pa lang, so iniincorporate pa lang siya unti-unti pero nasubukan nang maaga-aga," said Ricafort.
“Talagang complicated and mahirap yung naging process sa kanya, kahit siya nagiging impatient na rin at times pero gusto talaga namin na kapag nakabalik siya, less na yung iisipin niya saka talagang fluid na yung galaw. At least nasubukan namin ngayon, hopefully magtuloy-tuloy na yung recovery.”
For Dy, the transition to PLDT has been made easier by the presence of former teammates from both F2 Logistics and De La Salle University. The reunion with longtime allies such as Mika Reyes and Kim Fajardo helped her feel at home in her new environment.
“Of course, super excited. I haven’t played in the game for more than a year now and to be with new teammates. Since I’m new sa team, super excited to play because I was with my team before for the past years and just to play with new faces is so refreshing. I was just really happy to be part of the team,” Dy shared.
“May familiar faces pa rin. Para siyang naging mini reunion with Savi, sila Kath so super happy, choosing PLDT also with sila ate Ye (Mika Reyes), La Salle people, so it’s been an easy transition for us in PLDT. Really happy for that.”
