‘Bagyong Pablo’ taking PVL semifinals by storm

Myla Pablo reminded everyone why she stood out among the stars years back.

With Petro Gazz teetering on the brink of collapse late in the fourth set, the veteran winger unleashed a clutch performance to silence the crowd-backed Choco Mucho and lead her squad closer to a 2024-2025 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference championship berth.

Pablo delivered the finishing blows in the Angels’ come-from-behind, 24-26, 25-18, 25-17, 27-25, victory Tuesday night at the Philsports Arena to remain unscathed after two games in the round-robin semifinals.

The two-time conference Most Valuable Player and 2017 Open Conference finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) was lying on her back after the match-clinching off-speed hit to close the more than two-and-a-half-hour encounter, feeling exhausted but satisfied.

“Well, I had to lie on the floor for a bit because I felt a pinch on my calf again,” said the 31-year-old hitter, who was branded as “Bagyong Pablo” for her powerful smashers.

“I played limited minutes in the fourth set because of the trauma I had with F2 (Logistics) before. I tried to play through pain in my calf but ended up straining it,” she added.

But a little push from Filipino-American teammate and reigning conference MVP Brooke Van Sickle lit a fire from under Pablo.

“When Brooke (Van Sickle) told me, ‘You can play.’ That’s when I realized that my team needs me, especially coach Koji (Tsuzurabara). I just did my job. I was cautious on the court because the fear (of injury) was there. I just prayed to the Lord to spare me from that injury,” she said.

“After everything was finished, I said, ‘Okay everyone’s tired, let’s all take a rest.”

The Angels had to claw their way out of a 15-21 hole in the fourth frame, sparking an 8-0 run to take a two-point lead before showing composure following a lengthy lull because of a ball in/ball out video challenge, which was later ruled inconclusive.

The winless Flying Titans saved two match points before Pablo took matters into her own hands.

Pablo ended her night with 13 points and received admiration from Petro Gazz’s Japanese mentor.

“Myla improved mentally. She used to have a lot of spikes that went out or into the net. Now we can see improvement on her mental side. It’s good to see a change in her mentality,” Tsuzurabara said.

Pablo’s production also included five kill blocks aside from nine digs for an all-around performance.

“If I can’t get my numbers in attacks, floor defense, or reception, I try to concentrate on my blocking. You must contribute in any way you can inside the court,” she said.

“I tried to help Brooke. Since she’s doing everything on offense and defense, I try to give her a hand on blocking. I think Nang Aiza (Maizo-Pontillas) gave us a huge lift with her four blocks. We showed maturity and leadership inside the court.”

Pablo and Petro Gazz gun for an outright best-of-three championship berth – the club’s first finals appearance since a runner-up finish in the 2023 1st AFC – against Akari today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.