Grandma’s AFC wish fires Angels
Petro Gazz is chasing the only championship in the PVL that it hasn’t won, and from the looks of it, the Angels are making a run at it using a lot of different pieces that helped them win their last of two import-spiced titles.
One of them is a retirement-bound setter who had openly professed her dream to win the All-Filipino championship.
“I would like to win the All-Filipino before I retire,” Chie Saet, just 40 years young and already a grandma, said as a career rejuvenation has highlighted Petro Gazz’s sterling run in the playoffs. She was very open about that in an earlier television interview, way before she had proven to be key as to why the Angels are two wins away from securing the first title series slot.
Coach Koji Tsuzurabara has made the bold move of making Saet his prime setter and giving Djanel Cheng limited minutes. He has also kept the decorated Rem Palma in the freezer in favor of other players who, in the past Petro Gazz title romps, played very little.
“I want them (teammates and fans) to remember me as an All-Filipino champion, because I will soon be retiring,” Saet, a product of the Ramil de Jesus program at La Salle, added. “I am very happy to be back inside the court and I am taking the responsibility given by coach Tsuzurabara to lead this team.”
Petro Gazz has made powerhouse crowd-drawer Creamline’s path to the title series a narrow road after a 25-23, 25-22, 21-25, 25-16 nail-biter on Saturday night, as the Cool Smashers would now need to win against Akari and Choco Mucho to have a chance.
And it was clear in that win—and since the playoffs started—that Saet was big and Palma was on the bench in the last three sets. Tsuzurabara, though, knows that team contributions don’t necessarily come from the players on the floor alone.
“Today, our hero is Rem,” Tsuzurabara said. “She did not play in the second set [and remaining sets], but she always gathers her teammates, and she gave a good atmosphere [for the team].
“She controls the team so we could win.”
MJ Phillips and Ranya Musa have stepped up to be the team’s prime middle blockers in place of Palma and the duo combined for 17 points, backing up reigning MVP Brooke Van Sickle with great effect.
Myla Pablo and Jonah Sabete have also been big for Petro Gazz, which avenged a 25-19, 25-22, 25-16 loss to the Cool Smashers on opening day.
“What I was thinking about was just helping the team. No errors,” said Musa, a College of St. Benilde graduate who has been a lifer at Petro Gazz.
Obviously, the Angels will savor the sweet win as much as they can before plunging back to action against the Flying Titans on Tuesday. They close out their semis stint against the Chargers on Thursday and hopefully, have that title shot in the bag.
That way, half of what Saet has set out to do has been achieved.
