Imports Jelic, Silva to pace Smart in PSL debut

MANILA, Philippines – A pair of seasoned international campaigners will be at the helm when Smart makes its much-awaited debut against Cocolife in the Chooks to Go-Philippine Superliga Grand Prix Tuesday at the Muntinlupa Sports Center.

Serbian Marija Jelic will serve as the running buddy of Cuban Gyselle Silva for the Giga Hitters, who are gunning for a strong start in this tournament bankrolled by Isuzu and UCPB Gen with ESPN5 as official broadcast partner.

Said to be a power hitter, the 30-year-old Jelic had seen action for various clubs in Serbia, France, Turkey and Finland.

Her latest stint was for Anadolu University in Turkey.

Those in the know claimed that Serbian coach Moro Branislav was behind her recruitment.

Branislav, who now calls the shots for Cocolife, was the same guru who brought Katarina Vukamanovic and the league’s record-holder in scoring Sara Klisura to Foton last year.

Interestingly, Jelic’s baptism of fire will be against Branislav, Klisura and the Asset Managers, who have yet to punch their first victory.

Jelic will be paired with Silva, who was part of the Cuban national team when it campaigned in the FIVB Women’s World Championship in Japan in 2010 and the Pan-American Games in Mexico in 2011.

“Our hopes are high as far as our imports are concerned,” said Smart head coach Ronald Dulay. “We may be a young team, but we’ll make sure to come up with a strong fight every game. With two good imports around, I’m sure we’ll go far.”

Aside from Jelic and Silva, the Giga Hitters will also parade a mixture of battle-scarred veterans and young stars led by former Army stars Patricia Torres, Tin Agno, Genie Sabas and Jeanie Delos Santos as well as former La Salle star Maureen Penetrante-Ouano and former Adamson playmaker Janet Serafica.

They will also have rising stars Cherilyn Sidayen, LaRainne Fabay and Roselle Urriza to provide youthful exuberance.

“Winning is not an overnight process,” said Dulay, who served as assistant coach of Francis Vicente for the national women’s team that saw action in the FIVB Women’s Senior Championship and the Southeast Asian Games last year.

“But with these competitive imports around, I’m pretty sure that we’ll give other teams a very good fight.”