CANDON, ILOCOS SUR — For most of the 2025 Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference, Chinnie Arroyo’s role looked noticeably different from the one she embraced during the preseason.
Just a few months ago, Arroyo was a steady contributor for ZUS Coffee in the PVL On Tour, earning valuable minutes and proving she could hold her own among the league’s fastest-rising talents.
At times, she even looked like the best player on the team.
But with the arrival of American import Anna DeBeer, her time on the floor naturally decreased.
For some players, that kind of adjustment could shake their confidence. For Arroyo, it became a challenge she quietly prepared for.
“Naging ready lang po ako lagi kung kailan ako kailangan sa loob,” she said.
“May tiwala naman si Coach Jerry (Yee) so siyempre ina-accept ko naman ‘yung role na binibigay niya sa’kin kaya ready lang ako kahit anong challenge.”
(C) PVL Images
Arroyo didn’t sulk — she stayed ready.
And when her number was called in the Thunderbelles’ crucial clash against Choco Mucho on Sunday, she made sure her presence was felt.
Arroyo delivered timely plays off the bench, helping stabilize the team and spark the quarterfinals-clinching 25–20, 25–22, 24–26, 25–19 win over the Flying Titans at the Candon City Arena here — a victory that officially booked ZUS Coffee’s ticket to the next round.
She finished with 11 points, but it was her late-game heroics that stood out the most. Arroyo scored four points in the decisive 7–0 finishing run, capping it off with the last three blows that shut the door on Choco Mucho’s comeback hopes.
“Sobrang laking kumpiyansa. Binigyan niya kami ng kumpiyansa para sa next game namin, and onting push na lang, darating na kami sa gusto naming makuha,” Arroyo said.
For head coach Jerry Yee, what Arroyo showed in that moment is exactly why he never stopped believing in her.
“Nag-i-step si Chinnie since nabigyan ng break, so ayaw na niya bitawan. Good ‘yun para sa’min.”
