Long road leads Gonzaga, Eroa to ZUS–and to a title shot
It wasn’t a coincidence that the two most emotional players after Thursday’s game were libero Alyssa Eroa and veteran hitter Jovelyn Gonzaga.
Long before ZUS Coffee became the PVL’s newest finalist, Eroa and Gonzaga spent years climbing their own mountains—journeys marked by setbacks and detours.
“I’m really at a loss for words,” Gonzaga said after the Thunderbelles stunned two-time champion PLDT, 25-22, 28-26, 25-22, to fulfill a long-awaited finals dream. “We had no expectations. We were just there to guide the younger players.”
While they harbored little expectations, there was something Gonzaga and Eroa carried inside them that burst out after the final point.
For Eroa, the victory was like watching a promise fulfilling itself. At 29, she had seen her career swing between triumph and uncertainty. The reigning Best Libero had already ascended Olympus when she won a title with BaliPure during the PVL’s semi-pro days in 2017.
A year later, she reached the finals again with PayMaya. But her team’s disbandment in 2022 left her in limbo just as the league was turning pro. And she missed that milestone season, finding herself bolstering Marikina in the Maharlika Pilipinas Volleyball Association.
She returned to the PVL when Galeries Tower tossed her a lifeline. But joining ZUS Coffee felt different.
“Our team is really tough and we all share the same mindset,” Eroa said in Filipino. “I’m more at ease because I’m not alone on defense anymore. It feels so good when everyone is aligned.”
Gonzaga’s road back also had its own redemption arc. The 34-year-old opposite had stepped away from volleyball after a Cignal stint in 2023, unsure what was left for her in the sport she had played since the Shakey’s V-League era.
But when ZUS Coffee needed a veteran anchor, she returned. And somehow, something clicked. With star rookies like Thea Gagate, AC Miner and Mycah Go, steady setter Clo Mondoñedo and an explosive reinforcement in Anna DeBeer, the Thunderbelles transformed from former cellar-dwellers to dark-horse contenders.
“It’s really the attitude of the team—how committed and how selfless everyone is,” Gonzaga said. “We play for each other.”
Now, the two stalwarts will have to bottle up all that emotion again.
ZUS Coffee will battle Petro Gazz, a team that has won two Reinforced crowns and just seized the All-Filipino title last May, for the championship.
For Eroa, this Finals run is a second chance she isn’t taking for granted.
“There’s pressure now because volleyball is different compared to before,” she said. “But we’ll see. It’s all about mental toughness.”
Gonzaga agreed.
“We’re here for a reason,” she said. “You can expect us to give our best again. God gave us this opportunity, so we’ll give everything we have.”
