If a season is a roller coaster then the Pocari Sweat Lady Warriors are diving perilously fast down the tracks.
After going undefeated through their first six matches, Pocari has lost their last two game and are on the brink of a possible bronze finish to their golden season after losing to the Bali Pure Purest Water Defenders in Game 1 of their semifinals series.
Gasping for life, Pocari, luckily, has two of the highest character players in former UAAP champions Michele Gumabao and Melissa Gohing.
Both vocal and comfortable under the crushing pressure of big matches, Pocari’s two leaders echoed how important Game 2 is for the franchise.
“Laban pa rin kasi we still have a chance. It’s better sana kasi we’re in the second position pero iba kasi sa V-League walang twice-to-beat. Back to zero kapag semifinals, yun yung challenge sa amin,” said Gohing, the team’s omnipresent libero.
The quality of passes often decided the clutch moments of Game 1. Although she still is one of the league’s best floor defenders, Gohing urges her teammates to do their part in getting first touches. The former UAAP Rookie of the Year also challenges her spikers to convert more points.
“Every team naman kasi ang strategy is iiwas sa libero. ‘Yun lang,” the 24 year old added. “Wala talaga akong magawa kasi from one corner, ilalagay nila doon sa kabila.”
“Siguro kailangan talaga teamwork – it’s a team and everyone should do their part when it comes to receiving. We had better receives kanina, it’s just that we also need to more points from attacks and blocks.”
Gumabao, for her part, has been pulling her weight despite playing through a severe abdominal injury. Pocari’s team captain urges her squad to remain mentally tough.
“Siguro nahihirapan talaga yung iba sa amin na makabalik. I mean after a bad game, yun ‘yung basis ng isang magaling na player – na after every bad game, kaya mong bumangon,” the other half of the Smash Sisters said.
“It’s not that you have one game na magaling ka, or you have one game na star player ka, kailangan kung magaling ka talaga na player, consistent ka. Yun lang, and yun lang ang hinahanap namin sa team namin ngayon – consistency,” one of the country’s best blockers remarked.
“Hindi kami nagkakasabay-sabay. For the past 2 games, medyo off talaga kami lahat, and for some reason, walang may gustong trumabaho. Everybody wants to give up responsibility right now. So ‘yun lang ang medyo hinahap ko personally sa teammates ko ngayon – for everybody to take responsibility for the loss, for the two losses, for the mistakes, for a bad game. You have to take responsibility.”
Gumabao isn’t only tough physically, but she has deadly focus especially when her team needs her most.
In her final year with the De La Salle Lady Spikers, Gumabao fiercely led a comeback in Game Two of the Season 75 Finals when her squad was behind two sets to the Ateneo De Manila University Lady Eagles.
For Pocari to succeed, they will not only need a big game from Gumabao but from everyone else as well.
“Ang gusto lang naman namin every time na pumapasok kami sa loob ng court is to enjoy, to play our game,” Gumabao reflected. “For the past two games, hindi namin sya nagagawa.”
“So may mga teammates kasi kami na pag na-demoralize, tuloy-tuloy na. ‘Yun pa ang kailangan namin i-overcome as a team. Hindi lang siya as one player – as a team, na kapag napuntusan ka, kapag natalo ka ng isang set, kahit natalo ka ng isang game, you have to get back up.”
