Cayuna ready to carry weight of Nxled’s offense

Gel Cayuna is ready tofurther unlock Nxled’sfull scoring potential.—MARLO CUETO

Gel Cayuna welcomes the challenge of orchestrating a balanced offense for a talent-rich Nxled, which flexes the scoring trio of Brooke Van Sickle, MJ Phillips and Myla Pablo.

As she opens a new chapter as a Chameleon ahead of the new Premier Volleyball League season, Cayuna, a two-time Season Best Setter, refuses to be overwhelmed by how much of her team’s success lies in her ability to maximize its talent depth.

“For me, Nxled has always been a talented team, especially with the veterans already here. Maybe the expectations have just grown because of the new additions,” Cayuna said in Filipino. “But I don’t focus on labels [as a super team]. My priority is how I can help and how we can become better as a group every day.”

Cayuna has started working with three-time MVP Van Sickle and the Chameleons, hoping to continue building their connection before the PVL on Tour starts on July 8 when they take on All-Filipino titlist Creamline in Ilagan City.

“I’m really looking forward to working with them because it’s a big opportunity for me to grow as a player. There’s so much I can learn from them, especially because they’re veterans with a lot of experience in the game,” Cayuna said. “I also want to build our chemistry on the court as soon as possible so I can help the team.”

The Far Eastern University product admitted it was hard for her to move on from former team Cignal, which filed for a leave of absence just days after they finished silver in the All-Filipino finals.

“Honestly, it was one of the most challenging moments of my career so far. Coming from a finals run, you expect to celebrate first. But suddenly there was a big change because of the disbandment,” said Cayuna. “I had to be practical and think about what the best next step was for me and my career.”

“Among all the options I had, I believed that Nxled was the environment that would help me grow both as a player and as a person. I also felt the trust they gave me, and I want to repay that by working hard and helping the team achieve its goals,” she added.

Cayuna and Cignal teammate Jackie Acuña will be the new additions for the Chameleons this season.

“It’s a huge help to have Jackie with me in this new journey. Aside from having a familiar face on the team, our existing chemistry on the court is also an advantage because we already know each other’s tendencies and movements. Outside the court, it’s also comforting to have someone who is going through the same adjustment process in a new environment,” she added.