Kianna Dy emotional as she returns to play after ‘hard year’

Kim Kianny Dy sheds tears talking about her much awaited return to action for PLDT High Speed Hitters in the PVL All-Filipino Conference. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — After 559 days, Kim Kianna Dy made her much-awaited return to action and got a feel of playing for the PLDT High Speed HItters in the 2024-25 PVL All-Filipino Conference.

More than year after signing with PLDT sidelined with a right knee injury, Dy entered the court with the High Speed Hitters leading the fourth set, 16-7, and got her feet wet with a few spike attempts in front of a happy Tuesday crowd for the comebacking player at Philsports Arena.

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Cignal erased a 10-point lead as PLDT had to field Erika Santos and Angge Alcantara for Dy and Kim Fajardo to hold the ground and complete a bounce back 25-20, 25-21, 20-25, 25-22 to improve to a 5-3 record. 

Dy, who sustained a serious knee injury in July 2023 when she was still with the now-defunct F2 Logistics,  said she not rushing her comeback from a lengthy absence but she couldn’t help but feel emotional over her debut as a High Speed Hitter.

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“Biggest change, 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,” said Dy, who couldn’t hold back her tears in the postgame interview.

READ: PVL: Transition not as scary as it seemed for Kim Kianna Dy

Kim Kianna Dy makes her much awaited debut for the PLDT High Speed Hitters in the PVL All-FIlipino Conference. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

“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 even when I’m having such a hard time. ”

Although her comeback wasn’t planned for this game, PLDT coach Rald Ricafort lauded the star opposite spiker’s dedication and patience while recovering. 

READ: Kianna Dy eager to make comeback outside comfort zone

“We’re happy that little by little, she’s starting to get back on track, and we’re really taking it slow in incorporating her,” Ricafort said. “Her recovery process has been very challenging and complex, and we’ve been very patient.”

“It’s not just about deciding not to use her all this time—it’s about ensuring that when she comes back, she’s in a place where she has fewer things to worry about and her movements are fluid. She gets impatient at times, but we want her return to be as smooth as possible. At least we were able to test it today, and hopefully, her recovery continues steadily.”

Savi Davison, who had 24 points, 12 digs, and 10 excellent receptions, was a proud teammate to Dy as they shared the court for the first time.

“I’m just super proud of her. We always see her working hard. She races to practice after she goes to her 6 am workout so it’s finally coming together and I’m super proud of her for that,” said the Filipino-Canadian spiker. 

As she continues to work her way to her full recovery, Dy relished her short but memorable comeback, teaming up with new teammates Davison and Kath Arado as well as reuniting with former La Salle and F2 Logistics teammates Fajardo, Mika Reyes, and Majoy Baron.

“Since I’m new with team, I’m super excited to play ’cause I was with my team before in the past years. Just to play with new faces is just so refreshing, and yeah, I was just really happy and excited to be part of the team inside,” Dy said. 

“It felt like a mini-reunion with Savi and Kath. I’m super happy with my decision to join PLDT, especially being surrounded by the La Salle people. The transition to PLDT has been so smooth for us, and I’m really happy about that,” she said.