CANDON, ILOCOS SUR – With familiarity already established, Bang Pineda assured a smooth transition in her return to Petro Gazz after two seasons away.
Pineda was part of the Angels squad that captured the 2022 Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference title, serving as the team’s starting libero.
Following stints with Akari and Nxled, the veteran defensive specialist found herself reunited with her former team as timing and opportunity aligned.
Petro Gazz, however, had been struggling in the 2025 PVL On Tour. After opening the campaign with a win, the Angels dropped three straight matches in Pool A play.
The skid was compounded by the sudden departure of Japanese head coach Koji Tsuzurabara in the middle of the preseason tournament organized by Sports Vision.
Interim head coach Brian Esquibel cited floor defense as one of the glaring issues during their losing streak — something the return of Pineda aimed to address.
And deliver she did. In her first game back with Petro Gazz, Pineda made an immediate impact, anchoring the floor defense in their 20-25, 25-19, 26-24, 25-17 victory over the Choco Mucho Flying Titans on Tuesday at the Candon City Arena here.
“Actually biglaan siya. Four days pa lang akong nagti-training with Petro Gazz. Siguro inisip na lang nila na matagal ko na silang kasama so baka yung chemistry mabuo,” said Pineda on her unexpected return.
“Marami pang ia-adjust kasi new system, kasi iba yung coach. Pero yung teammates naman same pa rin, kasi marami pa rin namang naiwan sa mga teammates ko before sa pagbalik ko dito. Kilala ko na sila maglaro and good thing na nakaka-demand ako sa kanila. So tingin ko malaking factor yun na makaka-adjust kami agad.”
Before Pineda’s return, the Angels were rotating two liberos: Jellie Tempiatura and Baby Love Barbon. But an ACL injury sustained by Barbon during their match against Galeries Tower in Batangas last month left Tempiatura as the lone active libero, prompting the team to look for reinforcement — and they didn’t have to look far.
“Maganda ‘yung tulong ni Bang kasi nandoon pa rin ‘yung core niya sa teammates before. So talagang, noong open ‘yung slot ni Bang, hindi kami nagdalawang-isip na kunin siya,” said Esquibel.
Pineda didn’t disappoint, tallying 13-of-23 excellent digs and 12-of-24 excellent receptions in her return. Her efforts helped Petro Gazz close the pool stage with a 2-3 record — good for fourth place in their group.
While the finish wasn’t enough for an outright quarterfinal berth, Petro Gazz, along with the seven other lower-ranked teams, will still get a shot at the quarterfinals via a knockout playoff round.
In a twist of fate, Pineda and the Angels will face the Akari Chargers — her former team — for a ticket to the quarters this coming Tuesday at the Philsports Arena.
“Kailangan ko talagang tumulong and marami pa akong tatrabahuhin since ang tagal kong hindi nag-training, parang almost two months. Tapos pagbalik ko, nagulat ako makakalaro ako. Akala ko ready lang ako for next conference eh. Trabaho talaga,” Pineda said.
