Behind Gonzaga, Thunderbelles ready to bring Angels to the ground
Jovelyn Gonzaga knew that there was something special with ZUS Coffee way before becoming a Thunderbelle.
“Before I joined ZUS, I already knew how much potential this team had,” said Gonzaga, who helped the transformation of the Thunderbelles into contenders in these playoffs of the Premier Volleyball League All Filipino Conference. “I always tell everyone that we can go really far.’’
From an obscure, fledgling franchise that dropped its first 20 games and toted a losing record early in the conference, the Thunderbelles have morphed into a cohesive unit other teams should closely examine.
The Petro Gazz Angels learned that in a difficult manner after getting struck by the Thunderbelles in straight sets, 25-21, 25-23, 27-25, during the opener of their quarterfinal series on Tuesday evening.
Thea Gagate, the league’s top overall rookie pick, patrolled the net with authority while hitters Chai Troncoso, Mich Gamit, Chinnie Arroyo and Gonzaga sparkled in different instances throughout the match as they pulled off the upset over the second-ranked Angels.
“We were all selfless. We didn’t focus on personal achievement, we are all moving for the team,” Gonzaga added. “The main reason for our success is the teamwork between the coaching staff and the players.”
Clo Mondoñedo orchestrated ZUS’ fluid offense the past three games since they swept the play-in tournament to forge the best-of-three series with the Angels, who saw their 10-game win streak built during the elimination phase ground to a halt. “As coach [Jerry Yee] said, we’re lucky that this is a long tournament, so our chemistry is slowly developing,” Gonzaga, whose kill block on Myla Pablo’s mighty swing at match point put them on the verge of the team’s first semifinal stint, explained. “We have, little by little, come to address our shortcomings.”
Game 2 is scheduled on Saturday at Ynares Center in Antipolo City and the Thunderbelles should ready themselves for a rugged survival fight with the Angels.
The Choco Mucho Flying Titans possess a similar goal of closing out the PLDT High Speed Hitters in their side of the quarterfinals on Thursday as well as the Akari Chargers, who will attempt to end the Galeries Tower Highrisers unexpected climb to the playoffs in another final eight series.
