Mylene Paat was able to catch the eye of Nakhon Ratchasima during the 2021 Asian Women’s Club Volleyball Championship last October.
Playing for Choco Mucho, Paat had eight points in their straight-set loss that caught the eye of the Thai club.
A month after the tournament, the 27-year-old native of Bani, Pangasinan is already in Thailand as she signed a four-month deal with Nakhon Ratchasima for the Thailand League.
Definitely, they like what they are seeing so far in Paat.
“I think nung nakaraang AVC, dun nila nakita yung performance ko at sabi nila, nagustuhan nila yung performance ko dun at kinuha nila ako doon,” she told The Game.
“Nung nakasama ko na sila sa training, parang tahimik lang tapos sumusunod lang ako sa drills na gagawin nila. Yung drills kasi dito liparan talaga.”
Why was the usually jovial Paat silent? Well, she was in awe of how head coach Thanakit Inleang does his drills.
According to the Adamson University product, each practice session of the team is at a higher gear with balls and players flying around.
“Grabe yung training dito, nagliliparan talaga sila.
“The whole time ng training, scrimmage talaga ginagawa. Nandun na talaga yung familiarization sa court,” she shared as they are just a few days away before their season opener against reigning titlist Diamond Food.
With her playing overseas, Paat joins the likes of Alyssa Valdez, Dindin Santiago-Manabat, and Jaja Santiago — all of whom are superstars in the game.
Ever humble, Paat is staying grounded, only wanting to absorb all the knowledge she can in Thailand.
“Actually, feel ko… steady lang,” she gushed. “Yung ibang tao, sinasabi nila star, ganun ganun, pero hindi ko pa rin ma-feel sa sarili ko na star na ako. Gusto ko pa rin matuto sa bawat gagalawin ko.
“Of course, sobrang blessed ko na napabilang ako sa kanila. Sobrang blessed ko na maka-join sa ganitong league at makilala dun.”
