AC Miner (right) scores on an angled kill. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Rookie AC Miner continues to show the potential to be the cornerstone of ZUS Coffee, considering what the fifth overall pick in the Draft showed on Tuesday night in leading the Thunderbelles to a come-from-behind 19-25, 25-22, 18-25, 25-19, 15-6 win over Chery Tiggo in the PVL On Tour at Candon Arena in Ilocos Sur.
Miner sparked the Thunderbelles, scoring seven of her game-high 19 points in the fourth frame to force a decider, where she was backstopped by Chinnie Arroyo for a hot 9-3 start as ZUS Coffee derailed the Crossovers’ outright quarterfinal bid on the way to tying their victims at 3-2 in Pool B.
“I think our biggest weapon was not giving up, especially that fourth set,” said Miner, who had 15 kills and four blocks. “If we didn’t give it our all there, the match would’ve been over. But we pushed until the end.”
Coach Jerry Yee was all praises for Miner, the former Ateneo star in the UAAP.
“She’s different. It’s only recently that we’re starting to really bring out her game,” said Yee in Filipino. “Hopefully, she keeps it going.”
ZUS Coffee thus dragged Chery Tiggo to the knockout round after finishing tied with idle Creamline, which got a free ride to the quarterfinals for having the highest points among the three with 10 over the Crossovers’ nine and Thunderbelles’ seven.
The Thunderbelles battle the loser of the last preliminary game between Petro Gazz and Choco Mucho, while the Crossovers battle the winless Pool A team, the Galeries HighRisers, for berths to the next round.
While Miner has been churning out steady efforts, she remains hungry to improve more as they enter the climax of the preseason, where they won three of four five-setters played.
“I’d say there’s still a lot to improve on. Volleyball doesn’t stop at just a couple of wins or points,” she said. “The fight continues for me, and for the team every single game.”
Miner deflected the credit to her teammates with setter Clo Mondoñedo showing her brilliance with 36 excellent sets on top of two points. Kate Santiago chipped in with 13 points and 12 digs off the bench. Chinnie Arroyo had 11 points. Chai Troncoso tallied 10 points and 13 excellent receptions, while Fiola Ceballos added seven points.
“Our player pool is really solid,” said Miner. “There are times coach (Yee) makes subs to shift momentum and be more effective, and as you saw today, it worked well for us.”
In the fourth set, Ceballos provided the spark off the bench, and Miner caught fire for a 19-14 lead.
Ren Peñafiel tried to will the Crossovers back with back-to-back kills and an ace from Ara Galang, 19-17, but Miner restored order and put on the finishing touches to force a decider.
Miner was also inspired by her family and their growing fanbase in the final out-of-town game of the preliminary round.
“I’m super thankful to my mom and my (aunt) who came all the way here to watch,” she said. “They always support not just me, but the whole team. And we’re really grateful to everyone supporting us it gives us courage to fight every game.”
“No matter the weather, volleyball continues. PVL keeps delivering good games for the fans, wherever we are,” Miner went on.
“We’re also happy we made people smile today. Even with the rain, and despite the gloomy weather these past few weeks, people still came to support us, and we truly appreciate that.”
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Third-round pick Peñafiel’s career-high 19 points and 14 excellent receptions went to naught as they failed to secure the outright quarterfinal berth. INQ
