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

Kim Kianna Dy finally saw the light at the end of the dark tunnel when she made her PVL comeback on Tuesday night—559 days after an injury-induced hiatus.

“[I am] super excited. I haven’t played the game for [more than] a year now,” Dy said after her number was finally called, to the delight of the fans, in the fourth frame of the High Speed Hitters’ 25-20, 25-21, 20-25, 25-22 All-Filipino Cup victory over Cignal at PhilSports Arena.

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Her much-awaited return and PLDT debut was a surprise even to herself, as coach Rald Ricafort starts the slow process of breaking in the prolific hitter out of La Salle with the High Speed Hitters making one final push for the best playoff ranking possible.

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“Actually, she wasn’t supposed to [make her] return today, because she was only able to train hard on back-to-back days for the first time,” Ricafort said. “We are incorporating her slowly. But we were able to test her out this early and we’re happy that she is slowly coming back.”

Dy hurt her right knee while still with now-defunct F2 Logistics on July 20,2023. But PLDT took a chance on her despite an unspecified return.

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“We’ve been very patient with her long recovery. It’s not just a judgment to not field her in, it was a really complicated and difficult process that even she has gotten impatient at times,” Ricafort added. “But I really want her to come back when there would be less to think about [in aggravating the injury] and she would have a more fluid movement.”

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It wasn’t the most spectacular comeback for Dy, who failed to produce points despite a few attempts.

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But it was a welcome development, a ray of hope for PLDT’s campaign as it stands at No. 4 with a 5-3 record like Chery Tiggo and Choco Mucho, with three more games remaining.

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“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 [the court],” Dy said after finally stepping off the sidelines.

About a year later, all that optimism disappeared into thin air, along with its Greenbelt showroom, which was once a vibrant outlet showcasing different e-scooter models. This space—meant to attract heavy foot traffic—has been padlocked very recently.

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“Her presence has a huge effect, even if she comes and goes in the scrimmages, that’s still her,” Ricafort said. “Even if she still isn’t the 100 percent Kianna who can play in the first six, she helps us improve.”

If all goes well, she gets to provide much-needed additional firepower to other wing spikers like Savi Davison, the current go-to scorer of the High Speed Hitters who scored 24 points against Cignal.

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“It wasn’t really easy. It’s been a hard year,” Dy, who can’t help but feel emotional, said of her journey back. “I’m still trying to get to my 100 percent and I’m slowly getting there. I am thankful to my teammates and my coachesgoal11, they make it easier for me even though I myself am finding it difficult.”

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