Veteran Pablo makes sure she is ready whenever Nxled needs her
Myla Pablo is doing whatever it takes to keep herself ready for her squad, even if that means putting her veteran body through a more rigorous routine than she used to when she was younger.
“Even before the All-Filipino Conference started, I had already become more disciplined with my body. I’m no longer eating as much as I used to, and I do my strength and conditioning workouts every day,” the 33-year-old standout said. “I know I’m one of the players the team is counting on, so I need to keep my body healthy.”
“I don’t want to get sick because that would set me back to zero. I always remind myself to wake up feeling good and make sure my body is in good condition so I can prepare properly for every game this conference.”
That meticulous approach is paying off well so far.
Pablo came up huge in the deciding set, scoring Nxled’s last four points in a 25-19, 25-17, 23-25, 20-25, 15-12 win over Farm Fresh in the PVL All-Filipino Conference Siklab Series on Saturday at Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
The 10-year veteran’s solid showing remains vital for an Nxled team that continues getting the goods from Brooke Van Sickle, who continues to flaunt her MVP form despite returning from a shoulder injury.
“I love playing with Myla because Myla is just a gamer,” Van Sickle said after finishing with 20 points off 14 kills to lead the Chameleons.
“I think she’s one of those players who, when it comes to crunch time, she’s going to get that kill. She’s going to just be clutch. So it’s very great to be able to have her on the team,” she added.
Pablo finished with 17 points and six blocks, including the game-sealing stop against Farm Fresh veteran Ces Molina.
“My main focus on the court is to block. Even if I can just get a touch on the ball, that’s already a big help,” said Pablo. “I always remind myself that I need to get a touch or make a block every set because that’s part of my job as an opposite.”
Getting good attacks is just a bonus. I’m also grateful for the trust my teammates and coaches have in me,” she added.
Van Sickle and Pablo proved to be a potent combination for the Chameleons against the Foxies, with the latter getting a lot of help in making a good read on the team’s offense.
“I think her [being] paired with Gel (Cayuna), I think Gel gave her really good opportunities and Myla took care of business,” Van Sickle said.
Cayuna dished out 31 excellent sets to power the duo of Pablo and Van Sickle.
Nxled nailed 23 blocks, including seven from Jackie Acuña, who finished with 12 points. MJ Phillips chipped in 11 points, while Jonah Sabete-Escamillan had nine points and 19 excellent receptions in 42 attempts.
The 33-year-old Pablo was full of praise for Van Sickle, who is back after missing Nxled’s breakthrough silver medal finish in the Invitational Conference last month.
“We’re really happy to have Brooke back with us. That’s why we keep reminding ourselves that we need to work hard and fight through every game,” she said as Nxled won a second straight game.
Molina, who came off the bench, led the Foxies’ fight with 16 points, 11 digs and 11 receptions.
Farm Fresh dropped to 1-1.
