Myla Pablo made sure to step up when Petro Gazz needed her the most.
Fighting for tournament life in Game Two of the 2022 Premier Volleyball League Open Conference semifinals, Pablo dropped a tournament-best 18 points in the five-set, 25-22, 21-25 22-25, 26-24, 18-16 win over the Cignal HD Spikers on Sunday night.
Pablo’s performance was a huge boost for the Angels. After all, she’d gone scoreless while playing only one set back in Game One.
And for her, the trust of her teammates and coaches played a huge role in her breakout game.
“Sabi ko nga, malaking bagay sa’kin na may tiwala yung team sa akin, especially the coaches,” said Pablo. She also scored the game-winning hit in the tight fifth set.
“Sabi ko nga, kung ano yung ibibigay sa akin na posisyon ni Coach Jerry [Yee] is ibibigay ko yung best ko. Kung saan ako makakatulong, opposite ‘man ako o open… And then yun nga, ibibigay ko yung best ko. And siyempre, lahat naman gustong manalo and may Game Three nga bukas,” she added, as she played both the open and opposite positions during the match.
The Petro Gazz squad has a number of capable hitters in Jonah Sabete, Grethcel Soltones, Nicole Tiamzon, and Aiza Maizo-Pontillas. Pablo struggled to find her rhythm in the conference; she scored only a total of 16 points combined in the Angels’ previous games.
With her confidence back, though, Pablo hopes that she can sustain the momentum. Moreover, she wants to help Petro Gazz finish off Cignal.
“I hope na yung mga game namin today na iwas errors for Game Three,” said the two-time PVL Conference Most Valuable Player.
“Wala na rin kasing time para mag-training kasi Game Three na. Siguro mai-aapply talaga namin sa Game Three yung pasa namin. Yun naman yung pinaka-importante, yung pasa eh. And tulong-tulong kami as a team and then kung ano yung masasabi ng mga coaches namin, kailangan naming sundin.”
