Farm Fresh revamps coaching staff; Cignal acquires Guino-o, Arce

FARM FRESH is revamping its coaching staff with hopes of changing its fortunes in the 2025 Premier Volleyball League seasons.

After quietly bringing in veteran internationalist Fabio Menta as consultant early this year, the Foxies have recently tapped two more Italians like the former in Alessandro Lodi as coach and Carlo Buzzichelli as in charge of strength and conditioning not just at Farm Fresh but also at sister team ZUS Coffee.

Mr. Lodi replaced Benson Bocboc, who coached the franchise to a 10th-place finish last All-Filipino Conference.

“The arrival of coach Alessandro Lodi as Farm Fresh’s new head coach and coach Carlo Buzzichelli as Strong Group’s new strength and conditioning head marks a new chapter for our teams,” said Farm Fresh manager Kiara Cruz. “With coach Fabio Menta already on board as our volleyball consultant, we’ve seen improvements across all SGA teams — from the pros to the collegiate level.”

“Now, with the additions of coach Alessandro (Lodi) and coach Carlo (Buzzichelli), we’re not just maintaining momentum — we’re becoming stronger,” she added.

Meanwhile, Cignal continued its own revamp as it acquired outside spiker Heather Guino-o and middle blocker Ethan Arce, which came a few days after tapping veteran Tine Tiamzon.

“Team Awesome is thrilled to welcome Heather Guino-o, a reliable scorer and steady presence on the wing, as she’s ready to make a significant impact with the Cignal HD Spikers in the next conference,” said the squad in a statement posted in social media.

“From one red squad to another, Ethan Arce brings strength, grit, and passion to the Cignal HD Spikers as we set our sights even higher for the next conference,” it added. — Joey Villar