CANDON, ILOCOS SUR – The Premier Volleyball League On Tour preseason tournament has opened doors for fans from far-flung provinces — well beyond the borders of Metro Manila — to see their favorite teams and players live and in action.
But even with the Tour hopping from one province to another, one thing has remained constant for AC Miner and the ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles: support from her family and friends.
Whether in Montalban, Rizal — just an hour’s drive from the capital — or all the way north in Candon, Ilocos Sur, Miner had her personal cheering squad.
Her mother, Arnie Lopez, and her father’s close friends, Jimmy Smith and Leanne Panganiban, have been a fixture in ZUS Coffee’s provincial matches, even making the grueling seven-hour trip to the Candon City Arena here on Tuesday.
And the effort paid off. ZUS Coffee dug deep to pull off a hard-earned 19-25, 25-22, 18-25, 25-19, 15-6 comeback victory over the Chery Tiggo Crossovers, finishing their Pool B campaign with a 3-2 record heading into the knockout phase.
Miner, the fifth overall pick in the 2025 PVL Rookie Draft, led the Thunderbelles with 19 points built on 15 attacks and a game-high four blocks.
“Super thankful po ako kala tito at saka sa mom ko na umabot dito para manood. Lagi silang sumusupport sa team, hindi lang sa akin,” said the former Ateneo de Manila University standout, who draws added motivation every time her family is in the stands.
(C) PVL Images
Miner also extended her appreciation to the thousands of Ilocano fans who braved inclement weather and the effects of the recent “habagat” and typhoons Dante and Emong just to watch the match live.
ZUS Coffee has shown resilience throughout the preseason tournament organized by Sports Vision, winning three of its four five-set matches. Much of that grit, Miner said, comes from the extra push they feel from the crowd.
Despite their win, ZUS Coffee found itself in a three-way tie with Creamline and Chery Tiggo at 3-2 in Pool B. But it was the 10-time champions Creamline Cool Smashers who clinched the outright quarterfinal berth thanks to their superior 10 match points.
Chery Tiggo placed third with nine match points, while ZUS Coffee settled for fourth with seven.
“Nagpapasalamat po kami sa lahat ng nanood. Kami rin po, natutuwa kami na napasaya po namin yung araw. Kahit umulan, kahit the past few weeks, walang nakitang araw, nagpapasalamat kami na patuloy pa rin po kayo nanood ng game today kahit ganon po yung sitwasyon,” Miner said.
“Kahit ano yung weather, tuloy pa rin yung volleyball, tuloy pa rin yung PVL na magbigay ng magandang laban para sa mga fans po kahit saan,” she added.
“Very fulfilling po naman kasi not everyday nabibigyan ng chance makanood yung mga taga-province. Very good kasi ngayon nakakapag on tour kami sa iba’t ibang regions, nakakapag-ikot yung iba’t ibang teams sa iba-iba naming nilalaruan, so very thankful po kami sa PVL for that.”
