Veteran spiker Myla Pablo has been bending over backward as her resurgence led Petro Gazz to the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference finals.
Pablo was a two-way threat during the semifinals, displaying her attacking prowess backed by steady blocking to help her team return to the championship round for the first time in two years.
Behind her solid performance, the Angels completed a three-game sweep of the round robin semifinals to forge a best-of-three championship series against five-peat-seeking Creamline.
The two-time Most Valuable Player wreaked havoc at the frontline with five kill blocks to finish with 13 markers as Petro Gazz beat Choco Mucho, 24-26, 25-18, 25-17, 27-25, for a second straight semis win last Tuesday at the Philsports Arena.
Two days later, Pablo uncorked a game-high 16 points anchored on 11 kills, four kill blocks and an ace in the Angels’ finals-clinching 25-22, 25-20, 25-18 victory over Akari at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Returning to the finals in a Petro Gazz uniform for the first time since playing a relief role in the 2022 Reinforced Conference culminated the 31-year-old hitter’s rebirth.
Pablo expressed gratitude for the trust given to her by Japanese coach Koji Tsuzurabara and the unending support of her teammates led by Brooke Van Sickle, whom she dedicated their finals run.
“I’m so happy that we made it to the finals. I can’t say that I carried the team alone, everybody stepped up, especially the subs like Aiza (Maizo-Pontillas) and Djanel (Cheng),” Pablo said.