For the entire duration of the 2019 PVL Reinforced Conference’s elimination round, the Petro Gazz Angels relied on the high-scoring tandem of Janisa Johnson and Wilma Salas.
But in Game One of the semifinals, the Angels showed that they have more in store.
“Totoo talaga, we have good imports,” Petro Gazz head coach Arnold Laniog admitted.
“We have high-percentage imports but talagang kailangan din namin ang locals.”
In Game One of their best-of-three series against Banko Perlas, both reinforcements uncorked triple-double performances as Salas finished the game with 25 points, 13 excellent receptions, and 12 excellent digs while Johnson ended with 23 points, 16 excellent receptions, and 14 excellent digs.
However, Nunag, along with fellow middle blocker Jeanette Panaga, provided much-needed firepower for the Angels.
“Sabi ko nga yung BanKo is number one sa blocking because of [Yasemin] Yildirim and [Kathy] Bersola but since wala si Yildirim sabi ko kay Cherry and Panaga, ‘it’s your time to dominate the middle attack dahil wala na si Yildirim,” Laniog said.
And the two Petro Gazz locals did just that. Nunag fortified her team’s wall, tallying two of the seven kill blocks of her team en route to 12 crucial points in the Angels’ win over BanKo. Panaga, meanwhile, feasted on the service area, netting six of the eight aces of Petro Gazz for nine points.
With their performance that helped the league-leading Petro Gazz inch closer to a Finals berth, Laniog couldn’t help but beam with the way his prized locals have played.
“Luckily naman nagawa kanina ni Cherry but not totally in attack but yung blocking niya sa spikers ng kalaban kumbaga nagawa niya,” he shared.
“Mission accomplished siya doon.”
For her part, Nunag still believes that there is still a lot of room for improvement.
“Okay naman pero feeling ko mayroon pa akong kailangang i-adjust, medyo kulang pa…Also ako tatag pa sa blocking kasi medyo kulang pa.”
