IN a surprise turn of events, Jovelyn Gonzaga will return to the PVL as the newest member of the ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles.
The 32-year-old veteran spiker, also a sergeant in the Philippine Army, is set to bring an abundance of competitive volleyball experience to a rookie-laden Thunderbelles side.
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It was in 2023 when the ‘Bionic Ilongga’ last played in the PVL for Cignal in the 2023 Second All-Filipino Conference where they copped the bronze medal.
This would be the last PVL conference Gonzaga and fellow veteran star Rachel Anne Daquis shared as teammates before the pair hit pause to their volleyball careers for the entirety of the 2024 season.
Gonzaga will join forces with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2024 PVL Draft in Thea Gagate who’ll make her league debut in the forthcoming All-Filipino Conference after serving her Alas Pilipinas duties last season.
Also set to boost ZUS Coffee’s redemption run from a dead-last 12th place finish in import-laden play are multi-awarded College of St. Benilde standouts in setter Cloanne Mondonedo, outside hitter Gayle Pascual and middle blocker Mich Gamit.
Her decorated sporting resume over the last decade in both indoor and beach volleyball is a rather formidable one, with five top spiker nods, two MVP nods and a Finals MVP plum in the Shakey’s V-League.
She also racked up a pair of MVP citations and best opposite spiker awards in the now-defunct Philippine Superliga as a former Lady Trooper and HD Spiker.
The high-profile move, however, wasn’t one that came out of the blue.
Back in August, the Frank Lao-owned coffee brand first announced that it will be the ‘official sponsor’ of Gonzaga.
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The extent of such sponsorship was initially limited to the brand itself, but nonetheless stirred speculations on whether an eventual move to the Thunderbelles was in the works.
With the move now official, Gonzaga is expected to suit up for ZUS Coffee as it ushers in the six-month-long All-Filipino Conference starting November.
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