A new day has arrived for Petro Gazz as it signed up its third import for the 2025 AVC Women’s Champions League in American winger Giovanna ‘Gia’ Milana Day.
The newly crowned PVL All-Filipino Conference champions secured the services of a 26-year-old outside hitter who carries an abundance of playing experience overseas.
READ: Creamline to tap Russian, Kazakh imports for AVC Champions League
Day has played pro ball in six countries — the last in the US with LOVB Atlanta in the four-year-old League One Volleyball (LOVB) and in the Athletes Unlimited Pro League.
A 6-foot-2 spiker of Italian-Canadian descent, Day’s early beginnings in the sport were in the US NCAA with the University of Maryland and Baylor University.
Just before the pandemic’s onset in 2020, her international career took flight in France (Pays d'Aix Venelles), Puerto Rico (Sanjuaneras de la Capital) and dual stints in Italy (Itas Ceccarelli Martignacco and CDA Talmassons).
She later took her act to Asia to two-time Indonesian Proliga champion Jakarta Pertamina Enduro — where Creamline import Erica Staunton briefly played earlier this year — and in Korea with Daejeon Jung Kwan Jang Red Sparks where she once won the best outside hitter award.
There, Day linked up and forged a lethal on-court partnership with Indonesian volleyball icon Megawati Hangestri Pertiwi.
After their 2024 semifinals run with Jung Kwan Jang in Korea, they’d part ways as teammates but meet again as opponent in Indonesia where Megawati played for city rival Jakarta BIN.
'Day' of reckoning in Asian stage
Day’s next tour of duty in a less than a week’s time will be with her friend and now two-time PVL MVP Brooke Van Sickle and Finals MVP MJ Phillips as the Angels' three reinforcements in their bid to top their domestic reign by securing Asian supremacy.
Petro Gazz will begin its first international tournament as a club in pool play of the 12-team regional meet against Chinese Taipei’s Kaohsiung Taipower (Apr. 21; 4 p.m.) and Hong Kong’s Hip Hing (Apr. 22; 7 p.m.).
The competition’s two finalists will secure qualification to the 2025 FIVB Women’s Volleyball Club World Championship later this year as Asia’s representatives.
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