Ni Jerome Lagunzad

Laro Bukas

(The Arena, San Juan City)

4 n.h. -- Generika-Ayala vs Petron

Akari Sports wala pang balak pasukin ang PBA

6 n.g. -- Cignal vs Foton

NANANALAYTAY sa kanyang ugat ang dugong wrestler, ngunit lumaki si Penina Snuka na ‘in-love’ sa sports na volleyball.

At sa kanyang pangingibang bansa, nais ng dating University of Arizona ace setter na makalikha ng sariling pangalan na titimo sa isipan nang volleyball fans.

Sasabak ang American beauty bilang import ng Generika-Ayala Lifesavers sa 2017 Philippine Superliga (PSL) Grand Prix na simulang papalo bukas sa The Arena sa San Juan.

“I feel really honored and blessed that I come from this family,” pahayag ni Penina, patungkol sa kanyang namayapang lolo na si WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka at tiyuhin na si dating wrestling superstar at ngayo’y highest paid actor sa Hollywood na si Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

“I’m someone who’s very close to my family so leaving them was kinda hard. But knowing that, I’m taking that name with me out here, I can hopefully make a good name for them. I take it with a lot of pride,” aniya.

Malaki ang tsansa ni Snuka na mapagtagumpayan ang kampanya sa PSL bunsod nang pakikipagtambalan sa dating katropa sa Wildcats na sina Croatian Katarina Pilepic, at Darlene Ramdin ng Trinidad and Tobago.

Maganda rin ang samahan na kasalukuyang binubuo sa mga locals na sina skipper Angeli Araneta, Chloe Cortez, Shaya Adorador at Genveve Casugod. Madaling nakasalamuha ng locals si Snuka bunsod na rin ng kanyang animo’y pagiging isang Pilipina.

“It’s kind of funny because everyone thinks I’m Filipino so I’ve had a lot of people just come up to me and just start speaking in you guys’ language,” aniya.

“It’s such a beautiful language, but I’m looking at them like wide eyes and say ‘I’m not from here.’ I’ve had a lot of fun and everyone’s been good to me.”

Sa unang laban, mapapalaban si Snuka kina ‘balik’-import Lindsay Stalzer, Hillary Hurley at Japanese libero Yuri Fukuda na babalikat naman sa Petron.