WHEN ZUS Coffee secured its highest-ever finish in the PVL with a quarterfinal win over Capital1 in the 2025 Reinforced Conference, one major piece for the team’s recent success is the playmaking of skipper Cloanne Mondoñedo.
But long before she became the starting setter for the Jerry Yee-led Thunderbelles, the Oriental Mindoro native was first just a left-handed opposite hitter who didn’t know she was about to be rebuilt from scratch.
Her long time mentor Yee did.
READ: ZUS makes PVL semis for the first time by sweeping Capital1
The tactician saw something in a quiet high school player from Hope Christian School Manila, something she didn’t fully see in herself yet.
And so began a partnership that would span for years, and countless battles that shaped the steady, unshakable setter Zus Coffee relies on today.
“Opposite player talaga ako,” Mondoñedo told the SPIN.ph. “Medyo na-down ako noon parang hindi ako pang-setter.”
Yee however, had other plans.
“High school pa lang, converted na yan. Kailangan namin ng blocking sa college, so ginawa namin siyang setter,” he said.
It wasn’t glamorous and easy as it meant hours of extra reps, long sessions of corrections, and moments where the young Mondoñedo wondered if she was truly cut out for it.
“Nag-overtime kami, pinapagalitan niya ako, inaaway niya ako,” she said.
“Pero nagtiwala na lang ako. Hindi mo ipu-push yung tao kung wala kang nakikitang potential.”
Years later, that decision and trust would alter the trajectory of both their careers.
Under Yee’s guidance at College of St. Benilde, Mondoñedo blossomed into one of the most decorated setters the league had ever seen.
So decorated, in fact, that she made history - the NCAA’s first-ever setter MVP in season 99.
The titles came, the system clicked and the Yee-Mondoñedo partnership thrived. But even then, the 5-foot-6 setter never allowed the accolades to define her.
“Pagpasok ko ng PVL, inisip ko talaga baguhan lang ako ulit,” she admitted. “Rookie na naman. Kailangan ko matuto, kailangan ko i-prove kung bakit ako nandito.”
And that humility paired with the relentless work ethic Yee built into her, it became her compass as she stepped into the pros.
Reuniting in the pros
When Zus Coffee formed its roster, it needed stability. A leader. A system-setter.
It needed someone who knew the Yee playbook by heart.
“Kung meron man kaming nadala, yung work ethic lang,” Yee said. “Wala kaming expectation na dahil champion dati, champion din dapat ngayon. Hindi ganun kadali.”
But the familiarity between setter and coach? That mattered.
“Matagal na kaming magkasama. Alam niya kung paano ako maglaro. Alam niya yung attitude ko. Malaking bagay yun,” Mondoñedo said.
Together, they anchored a team still shaping its identity in a league filled with powerhouse lineups. And slowly, quietly, Zus Coffee climbed.
The quarterfinal win over Capital1 was more than just a step forward. It was validation of the long nights, the tough conversions, the years spent molding a player who learned to shine under pressure.
This run is the farthest Zus Coffee has ever gone and at the heart of it is a setter who once doubted she could even play the role.
Now, she commands the floor with conviction.
“Basta bigay ko yung best ko,” she said. “Kahit ano mangyari, hindi ako manghihinayang. Kung ano yung moment, gina-grab ko.”
Mondoñedo still remembers watching the likes of Janelle Chang and Jem Ferrer, both molded by Yee, and dreaming of reaching their level.
“I wanted to be like them,” she said. “Kaya nung kinuha ako ni Coach Jerry na-pressure ako. Ang gagaling ng setters niya.”
But pressure became growth for the 25-year old sophomore.
And now, she became a leader and the heartbeat of a team pushing for its biggest breakthrough yet.
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