SINCE joining the PVL in 2018, Petro Gazz won two of the last three Reinforced Conferences staged since.
The Angels’ golden reign in import-laden play came to an end in a crushing 23-25, 19-25, 18-25 sweep at the hands of Creamline, the team they first defeated to win the said conference for the first time four years ago.
READ: Creamline shows championship mettle in sweep of Petro Gazz
One would expect Petro Gazz to continue its winning ways with an intact veteran core, the addition of reigning PVL MVP Brooke Van Sickle and the return of 2019 best import Wilma Salas.
But the supposed fairytale run didn’t quite get the happy ending they were expected to have.
Marred by injuries and illnesses, Petro Gazz lost three straight in Round 1 of pool play before bouncing back to win four in a row and salvage the No. 6 seed heading to the quarterfinals.
Back-to-back 18-point performances from Salas and Van Sickle weren’t enough to beat Creamline again this conference, this time in the knockout quarterfinals, marking the end of their campaign as they’re also set to miss next week’s Invitational Conference.
What went wrong?
In an emotional chat following the Angels’ quarterfinals exit, team captain Remy Palma kept it blunt and real on their failed three-peat bid.
Although Petro Gazz has long been held to a high regard when it comes to import-laden play, today’s Petro Gazz team isn’t the same as the ones in 2019 and 2022, let alone the fact that different tournament formats were used through the years.
And the team from last conference, and even the ones prior, isn’t the same with the unit they have now in light of a handful of recurring changes — from coaches to teammates anew.
“Kahit pa sabihin nilang Reinforced champion lagi 'yung Petro Gazz, meron din kaming pinagdadaanan na major adjustments. Kahit sabihin nila na mainstay sina mommy Chie (Saet), sina (Djanel) Cheng, sina ate Jonah (Sabete), but still kasi may pumapasok pa rin kahit sabihin mo isa, dalawa, tatlo, at ‘yun 'yung nagiging challenges sa amin,” said Palma.
“May kanya-kanya tayong opinyon pero kailangang lawakan din ng mga tao na ‘pag nakikita 'yung Petro Gazz, alam naman namin na Petro Gazz 'to. Pero internally, pansinin mo rin, merong nagbabago. Hindi lang siya naka-stick sa isa. 'Di naman iisa 'yung coach namin," she added.
“Halos every year, every conference nga may nagiging changes. Ganun din sa players. Iba rin 'yung style ni coach Koji (Tsuzurabara), iba 'yung style nung mga nakaraang coaches namin. Kaya kami, sinasabi namin na 'habaan natin pasensya natin’ dahil kailangan namin.”
Lost in translation?
Hiring a foreign coach and the international pedigree he or she carries might have its upside, but more often than not, there’s one particular downside that may be too much of an ordeal, at times — language barriers.
In a frank admission, Palma bared how such barriers were present in the team with Japanese head coach Koji Tsuzurabara despite being capable of speaking minimal English.
And even if things tend to be unpredictable and misunderstandings arise, the Petro Gazz captain says it was a collective effort from the coaches to the players to stay patient with each other.
“May sarili siyang style of volleyball. Hindi man perfect, pero nagagawan namin ng paraan. Aminin din natin na meron talagang language barrier. Hindi mawawala 'yon pero hindi namin siya pwedeng gawing factor. Nandiyan lang siya pero wino-workout naman namin.”
“Kay coach Koji naman, thankful ako sa kanya kasi mahaba rin naman 'yung pasensya niya. May mga times na hindi man kami nagkakasundo lahat, pero wala e. Team namin 'to e. Ilalaban namin 'yung team namin kahit ano'ng mangyari.”
Never a lost cause
While a third straight Reinforced Conference title wasn’t to be, Palma, being the veteran that she is, knows just how the team should deal with such a tough loss — by taking the result in the chin and moving forward.
“‘Yung level ng volleyball sa PVL ngayon, it's not the same back in 2019. But still, we have the opportunity to rise again. Ngayon, kung hindi man pinalad, okay lang. Hindi din naman natatapos dito. So para sa 'kin, tuloy lang," she stated.
“Kung nagkulang man kami, yes, tanggap namin. Alam namin sa sarili namin. Hindi namin bine-blame 'yung bawat isa. It's just hindi nag-come together 'yung gusto naming mangyari," she added.
“Tanggap namin 'yung pagkatalo.”
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