Petro Gazz middle blocker Remy Palma reminded the Angels to keep their eyes on the prize after the team clinched a spot in the 2023 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference semifinals on Thursday night.
The former Far Eastern University standout scored 13 points, including three blocks, in the team’s 25-15, 25-19, 22-25, 25-16, four-set win over the also-ran Akari at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
“Syempre may isang game pa kami, pero sabi nga may isang game pa kami sa semis. Pero we want to win pa rin para madala yung momentum heading into the semis, kasi a win is a win. Also, kasama yun sa preparation e,” said Palma after the win.
Palma said that Petro Gazz must finish strong in their final game of the elimination phase against Chery Tiggo on Tuesday to gain more momentum ahead of the semifinals.
“Syempre yung makapasok ulit ng semis is stepping stone pa rin talaga. Parang everyday naman, every practice naman lagi naming sinasabi na one day at a time, one game at a time. So parang it’s up to us naman kung gugustuhin namin or ile-let go lang namin yung chances na binibigay sa amin,” said Palma.
“So kailangan talaga non-stop yung pag-work hard mo kasi kahit pumasok kayo ng semis tapos doon ka nagpabaya, nonsense naman yung pinaghirapan mo from the start,” she continued.
Petro Gazz, who tied F2 Logistics at the second spot with identical 5-2 records, became the second team to enter the semis after Creamline due to a superior set ratio.
Aside from finishing the elimination round strong, Palma said that the team is looking to put on a show in front of Ilonggos at the San Agustin Gymnasium in Iloilo City.
Petro Gazz and Chery Tiggo will open the league’s only out-of-town match of this conference at 4:00 PM. Meanwhile, the Creamline-Akari match will serve as the main event at 6:30 PM.
“Isa pa mag-ta-travel pa kami to Iloilo so isang magandang ano rin, isang magandang balik din para sa mga tao doon na makapagbigay kami ng magandang laro,” said Palma.
“Mas magpe-prepare pa talaga kami kasi yun nga, syempre mas tumataas na yung level ng competition so dapat mas prepared kami.”
