Thea Gagate has wasted no time making her mark in the Premier Volleyball League.
As the first-ever pick in a draft, the 6-foot-2 middle blocker has become the driving force behind ZUS Coffee’s stunning rise, guiding them to new heights in just her debut conference.
Gagate played a crucial role in ZUS Coffee’s historic run in the ongoing All-Filipino Conference, helping the Thunderbelles secure its first win, first winning streak, and, most significantly, its first-ever playoff appearance in franchise history.
The top overall pick in the inaugural PVL Draft stressed the importance of staying grounded ahead of their maiden quarterfinals appearance, where they will face powerhouse Petro Gazz in a best-of-three series.
“Well, palagi lang naman ako stay present. Ayokong masyadong mag-jump to the future agad kasi bilog ang bola,” said Gagate after leading the Thunderbelles to a playoff-clinching four-set win over Capital1 in the play-in tournament.
“Lahat ng teams palaban, pro league na ‘to. So at least ngayon, unti-unti na namin sino-solid ‘yung core namin and excited lang talaga ako sa upcoming games,” she added.
(C) PVL Images
With Gagate leading the charge, ZUS Coffee swept Pool B of the play-in stage, stunning Cignal in five sets, 19-25, 25-23, 25-20, 23-25, 15-12, before dispatching the Solar Spikers in four, 25-22, 25-17, 18-25, 25-17, to secure a spot in the quarterfinals.
The former La Salle star delivered 16 points against the HD Spikers and 13 points versus the Solar Spikers, tallying four blocks in each match.
“Syempre happy ako sa performance namin, although marami kaming paghihirap sa conference na ito, at least naging learning experience para sa amin, bawat isa, and excited lang din ako sa quarterfinals kasi doon pa lang maguumpisa ang tunay na laban,” said Gagate.
“Ayun, thankful talaga ako sa bawat isa – sa teammates, coaches, at sa management namin kasi hindi sila nagsasawang suportahan kami. Kasi alam namin na fresh pa lang kami na team, and ngayon pa lang kami nag-gegel, so happy lang ako,” she added.
Facing a formidable Angels squad led by reigning MVP Brooke Van Sickle, Gagate emphasized the need for discipline and precise execution of their game plan to stand a chance at pulling off an upset.
“Ako? Laban na talaga. Yun nga, sabi ko nga kanina, kasi hindi naman madali ‘yung pinagdaanan namin na situation ngayon,” said Gagate.
“So kailangan na namin ibigay lahat ng efforts, ng hard work, ng mga paghihirap namin sa training – application talaga ng mga natutunan namin nung qualification round.”
