ZUS Coffee’s Chinnie Arroyo during a game against Choco Mucho in the PVL on Tour.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — ZUS Coffee coach Jerry Yee relished the rise of Chinnie Arroyo, who played a big role in the Thunderbelles’ march to a second PVL quarterfinals appearance.
Arroyo powered ZUS Coffee to another pulsating five-set escape, willing her team back from a two-set deficit to eliminate skidding Choco Mucho, 22-25, 20-25, 25-16, 25-17, 15-10, and complete the PVL on Tour quarterfinals cast on Tuesday night at Philsports Arena.
READ: PVL on Tour: ZUS ousts Choco Mucho, completes quarterfinals cast
Jov Gonzaga and Chinnie Arroyo after entering the quarterfinals. #PVLonTour #PVL2025 @INQUIRERSports pic.twitter.com/AOmfphpdPj
— Lance Agcaoili (@LanceAgcaoilINQ) August 5, 2025
The young outside spiker drilled 20 kills to finish with a team-high 21 points to the delight of Yee, who developed her game since getting a break at ZUS Coffee when she transferred in the previous All-Filipino Conference from sister team Farm Fresh.
“We have started from less. Players who weren’t as skilled or as big, something like that. Now, we’re finally seeing more talented players. Of course, we’re happy they’re here. Our job is to help them improve. Every day, we try to help whoever is on the team get better,” said Yee in Filipino.
From a role player, Arroyo emerged as a top three scorer of the preseason with 80 points built on 77 kills, two blocks, and an ace behind best scorer Erika Santos of Cignal (87) and No.2 Cess Robles of Chery Tiggo (83).
“I draw strength from my family, especially my grandma. That’s where I get my drive. Also, seeing my teammates fighting hard pushes me to do the same. I don’t want to let them down,” said Arroyo in Filipino.
READ: PVL: ZUS drags Chery Tiggo to knockout round
Jov Gonzaga and Chinnie Arroyo eager to lead ZUS Coffee in the quarterfinals#PVLonTour #PVL2025 @INQUIRERSports pic.twitter.com/fDdM2Ov8mN
— Lance Agcaoili (@LanceAgcaoilINQ) August 5, 2025
The former National University player said winning four of their five-set matches brought out the strong character in the players.
“I think we’ve gotten used to it. We don’t want to give up the fifth set just because it’s tough. We’re already there, so why not keep fighting for it?” Arroyo said.
“This happened last time, too, so what sticks in our minds now is that we need to win at least one set to keep the momentum going and get ourselves back on track.”
ZUS Coffee may have pulled off resilient wins, but coach Yee stressed that there’s a lot to work on ahead of their quarterfinal duel against the unbeaten PLDT on Thursday.
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READ: PVL on Tour: ZUS Coffee sends Creamline to back-to-back losses
“Right now, I’d say our reactions aren’t consistent or really what a winning team should look like. Our execution has a lot of simple mistakes, like we’ll look at each other or laugh it off. Even with our court positioning, sometimes we end up arguing or debating about it. We’re not there yet, but we’re working on it,” he said.
As for the ZUS’ breakout star, she will continue to lead her team in challenging the bigger and more experienced squads, starting with PLDT.
“We’ll just play, execute, and focus on our game. That’s what we’re trying to keep up with the standards we’ve set for ourselves. We want to challenge ourselves against better teams so we can improve. PLDT hasn’t lost yet, so it’s a great challenge for us. Hopefully, we can grab some sets and maybe get lucky,” Arroyo said.
