ALYSSA Eroa had to claw her way back to the PVL after the pandemic brought her and countless others to a standstill.
So when ZUS Coffee, the team she joined just six months ago, clinched its first-ever finals berth with a 25-22, 28-26, 25-22 stunner over PLDT, the 29-year-old libero couldn’t hold back her tears.
READ: Eroa's run with Galeries a testament to persistence paying off
Like the Thunderbelles, she is headed to her first championship stage as a pro and only the second of her PVL career since her semi-pro silver-medal run with Balipure, coincidentally also in a Reinforced Conference back in 2018.
Before reaching this career peak, Eroa lived through a stretch filled with more questions than answers.
She recalled to SPIN.ph how she spent months stuck at a crossroads, rejected repeatedly by pro teams at the height of the pandemic.
That period of uncertainty forced her into the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry just to get by.
Money came fast, but disappeared just as quickly. And deep down, she knew the court still offered the best chance to provide for her family once she got another shot at the taraflex.
“‘Yung pasensya ko nu’n, hintay ako nang hintay kung may kukuha ba sa akin o wala. Ang laking sacrifice ng paghihintay na ‘yun sa’kin at sa family ko,” she said.
“‘Ngayon, ‘yung sinasahod ko sa volleyball, kukunin ko lang siya ng two to three hours. Pero nu’ng time na ‘yun, kailangan kong trumabaho ng eight hours bago ka sumahod, tapos hindi pa ganun kalapit sa sinasahod ko ngayon sa volleyball.”
Alyssa's setback, then comeback
When she returned to the PVL as a pro with Galeries Tower in 2024, Eroa helped steer the young franchise to its first-ever playoff appearance and a top eight finish in the 2024–25 All-Filipino Conference.
That campaign alone made it seem like she was on track to become a cornerstone of the Highrisers’ rise as a playoff fixture.
Then came the shocker: a sudden exit that saw the veteran libero part ways with the squad shortly after that franchise-best run.
It felt like deja vu of the worst kind. Just when she thought she had found a long-term home, Eroa was thrust into yet another career reset she felt she didn’t deserve - and certainly didn’t want.
“Hindi ko rin alam nu’ng time na ‘yun du’n sa Galeries. Hindi ko na-imagine kung ano ‘yung mangyayari kasi akala ko mag-stay pa ako du’n sa Galeries,” Eroa admitted.
Alyssa wakes up, stands up
Good thing then that ZUS Coffee came calling - and she answered the call.
And not only did Eroa finally settle into what she believes will now be a home for good, she also blossomed into one of the emotional anchors of a Thunderbelles squad that went from expansion team to finals contender in mere months.
And seeing the payoff unfold under the lights of the Big Dome made her journey feel even more surreal.
In that moment, she realized she had to seize every second of this fairy tale run. Life had long taught her to keep holding on even when the odds were stacked sky-high against her.
With one win separating ZUS Coffee from a storybook championship, Eroa hopes her career resurrection serves as inspiration not just to teammates, but to anyone whose dreams were put on pause.
“‘Yung mga bagay na nasa’yo, kapag hawak mo na, ‘wag mo nang hayaang bitawan o mawala pa sa kamay mo,” she said.
“Habaan pa rin ‘yung pasensya tapos ‘wag mong question-in si God kung bakit nangyayari sa’yo ‘yung mga bagay na ‘yun.”
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