COOL MINER
RODRIGUEZ, Rizal—AC Miner and her new team are headed to the PVL Reinforced Conference knockout quarterfinals. And along the way, she took on a familiar face from her old team.
The rookie middle blocker delivered 15 points to conspire with American import Anna DeBeer to give ZUS Coffee, a franchise-best 7-1 finish in the elimination round after sweeping the winless Nxled, 25-13, 25-21, 25-21, on Tuesday here at Ynares Center, Montalban, sharing the court with former college teammate Lyann de Guzman.
“I’m really happy to see more familiar faces on the court. Of course, with Nxled, there are three other people from Ateneo there,” Miner told the Inquirer after playing against De Guzman and other former Blue Eagles Jaycel Delos Reyes and Jaja Maraguinot.
“I got to play with them back then, so I’m glad I get to face them now. This is actually my first time playing against Nxled this conference, so I’m really happy we got to match up with them,” she added.
And for bonus, she helped put the Thunderbelles in a position to tab the No. 1 spot in the knockout quarterfinals.
ZUS Coffee entered Tuesday’s duel tied for the best record in the tournament and needing to secure a win to gain a more favorable matchup in the next round. A cool performance by Miner ensured that.
“Every game is important. We really can’t afford to lose. Every point, every set, even the smallest support or movement matters. The stakes are higher now in this part of the tournament, but our confidence and skill set are growing, too,” said Miner.
“I want to be more consistent and aggressive because I felt like I lost that in our last game against Cignal. But with this win, I think I’ll be able to step up again and show what we can really do this conference.”
Waiting game
Now, the Thunderbelles need only to wait for the results of Thursday’s matches of both PLDT and Farm Fresh, who now trail ZUS by half a game, to determine where in the top three they will end up.
De Guzman was happy for Miner, her teammate since their days at Far Eastern University High School, as they have been thriving in their rookie season in the pros.
“I’m really proud of both of us because we’ve come a long way, and I’m also really proud of her because she’s achieved so much already,” said De Guzman, who had 10 points, 11 digs and 11 excellent receptions.
Miner, the fifth overall pick of ZUS Coffee, believes that staying hungry has led the franchise to the top of the elimination round, rising from being the league’s cellar-dwellers last year.
“I think what our team shows is consistency. Even if we didn’t have any wins yet, we still show up the same way, whether we’re on a winning streak or not. We always show up to practices and games ready to give our best and with an open mind,” said Miner.
For De Guzman, Nxled, which ended with a 0-8 card, the franchise’s worst finish since joining the league in 2023, will continue to grow and work hard after falling short in some games that they could have won.
“There were a lot of challenges, and many games where we were so close but [we] ended up falling short. We just need to be more consistent because we know what we’re capable of giving every game,” said the Nxled rookie.
