Aaron Velez did not go into details but vows one thing about Chery Tiggo star Mylene Paat: She will return when she’s already 100 percent ready.
The Crossovers opened the 2023 Premier Volleyball League Second All-Filipino Conference without Paat due to a right foot injury but still managed to secure a 25-21, 25-23, 25-22 win over Farm Fresh on Tuesday.
“Rest assured, minamadali rin namin. Minamadali pero ginagawa namin na siguraduhing nasa 100 percent siya,” said Velez about Paat, the 2022 PVL Reinforced Conference MVP.
“As of now, she still has 20 percent swelling sa kanyang foot. I won’t go into details.”
The Foxies cruised to leads in each of the three sets, racing to a significant 18-10 advantage in the third frame before Chery Tiggo turned the tables en route to the sweep.
Making a mark in that turnaround was Cess Robles, who came off the bench but still finished with 10 points.
“Sa akin naman, mapunan lang namin kung ano si Ate My sa loob ng court, yung leadership niya, yung paglalaro niya. Siguro iyon din yung importante para makatulong sa team,” said Robles about missing their lefty veteran.
Eya Laure, who is in her second conference with the Crossovers, led the way with 14 points on 12 attacks, a block, and a service ace, while her sister EJ produced 13 points and nine excellent receptions.
Playing without Paat, Eya and the rest of Chery Tiggo make sure to take the floor with their injured leader in mind. Also missing were setter Alina Bicar and middle blocker Seth Rodriguez.
“Para ito sa kanila. Habang wala pa sila, maglalaro kami para sa kanila. Hindi ito para sa sarili namin kundi para rin sa Chery,” shared Eya.
Despite the win, Velez still waits for the day when Paat will rejoin the group because of the immense talent and experience she brings.
The next game of the Crossovers will be on Thursday against Galeries Tower at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
“The fire of Mylene, malaking tulong sa amin ‘yun, and at the same time, we want to showcase her talent to the fans,” said Velez.
