Rank Country Gold Silver Bronze Total
    View Today
    Sun, Nov 5

    Almadro deflects credit for win vs former team: 'It's not about me'

    Petro Gazz coach pays tribute to wards as Maizo-Pontillas, Soltones, Sabete play huge roles in statement win
    Feb 10, 2023
    Oliver Almadro Petro Gazz vs Choco Mucho
    Petro Gazz coach Oliver Almadro paid tribute to her wards as Aiza Maizo-Pontillas, Grethcel Soltones, and Jonah Sabete played huge roles.
    PHOTO: PVL Media Bureau

    OLIVER Almadro was the center of the spotlight on Thursday night when his current team Petro Gazz Angels got the better of his former team Choco Mucho Flying Titans in the 2023 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference.

    Oliver Almadro on win vs former team

    But Alamadro quickly deflected credit of the statement 25-18, 25-20, 25-21 win against his former squad and insisted the victory is not about him.

    "It's not about me, it's them [the Angels]," he said after Petro Gazz bounced back from its straight-sets loss to defending champions Creamline in its debut match last Saturday.

    "I will not say na ako yun, it's them, sila yung may gusto. Sinabi rin nila sa akin yesterday they will win it, so I believed in them."

    The Angels, whose core remained partially intact after the departure of starters Myla Pablo and Bang Pineda, displayed incredible grit and tenacity and churned out a 17-5 run to turn an 8-13 deficit into a 25-13 first set victory, before sweeping the last two sets in dominant fashion.

    "Siguro ang na-idadagdag ko na lang ay yung motivation, yung character. But the skill is there, yung maturity nila nandoon, yung hard work nila nandoon," he said as the Angels pounced on the Flying Titans in all departments.

    Like a well-oiled machine, everything was working fine for the Angels with veteran Aiza Maizo-Pontillas leading the comeback with game-high 19 points off 18 attacks to go along with 14 digs, while Grethcel Soltones and Jonah Sabete poured in essential numbers with 11 and nine markers, respectively.

    On the contrary, the Flying Titans found themselves scrambling offensively and defensively, converting only 29 attacks against the Angels' 48, and scoring only six blocks and two aces in 104 minutes of action.

    Go-to scorer Kat Tolentino was limited to only 14 points with 11-of-56 attacks while starting setter Deanna Wong tallied only seven excellent sets in 102 attempts.Although familiar with the system of the Flying Titans whom he had coached for three years, Almadro maintained his stint with Choco Mucho was not an advantage at all.

    ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW ↓

    "Sabi ng fans may bago silang sistema so hindi ko alam yung ginagawa nila so we just played our game kung ano yung meron kami, doon kami nag focus," he said.

    "I don't think nakatulong yung [familiarity sa] sistema basta ako, sa akin, they prepared for it, we prepared for it. So lahat naman ng teams kailangan pag prepare-an hindi lang isang team. Sabi ko dadaan lang 'to, kumbaga Choco Mucho lang pero dadaan lang talaga yan so it's one of the teams na kailangan talunin."

    MORE FROM SPIN
    MORE FROM SPIN

      For now, Almadro is eyeing to take it one game at a time as he continues to inject his system into the two-time PVL champions.

      The Angels are looking to make it two in a row when they face winless Cignal on February 18 at PhilSports Arena.

      Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph

      Read Next
      Watch Now
      Sorry, no results found for
      Petro Gazz coach Oliver Almadro paid tribute to her wards as Aiza Maizo-Pontillas, Grethcel Soltones, and Jonah Sabete played huge roles.
      PHOTO: PVL Media Bureau
    • POLL

      • Quiz

        Quiz Result