ZUS Coffee’s Thea Gagate and Jov Gonzaga
celebrate with their teammates during a win over Nxled in the PVL All-Filipino Conference. –PVL PHOTO
ANTIPOLO — No.1 overall pick Thea Gagate and the ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles remain hungry for more after finally earning their first franchise win in the 2024-25 PVL All-Filipino Conference.
Gagate, the inaugural top pick of the Rookie Draft last July, dropped 16 points off 10 kills, five blocks, and an ace to end a 20-game losing streak with a 19-25, 25-23, 25-22, 25-15 win over Nxled on Tuesday at Ynares Center Antipolo.
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The Alas Pilipinas middle blocker believes the Thunderbelles, who were winless in the past two conferences, can get more wins, needing to polish its team communication and flaunt a fighter mentality every game.
READ: PVL: Thea Gagate eager to show more after much-awaited debut
“My mindset in every game is that we can do it. No matter what happens, we just keep fighting because, as Ate Jov [Gonzaga] says, we all have talent and potential,” said Gagate. “We just need to refine it together as a team to get the win.”
Gagate also shared that their communication was key in overcoming a first-set loss and securing their first win two games into the six-month conference.
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ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles rookie Thea Gagate during a PVL All-Filipino Conference game. –PVL PHOTO
“It’s really about communication. Even though we’re new players and a new team, we just need to work hard and focus on communicating because that’s where everything starts, including teamwork,” she said.
READ: PVL: ZUS Coffee posts first franchise win, beats Nxled
The former La Salle star admitted that being ZUS Coffee’s top rookie puts a chip on her shoulder but she chooses to focus on giving her team a positive outlook through her winning experiences in the UAAP and with Alas Pilipinas.
“The pressure is there, but as I always say, I just focus on the positive side—taking it one game at a time. We really need to be patient, and hopefully, I can also share with them the things I’ve learned, especially from my time with the national team,” said Gagate.
Gagate and the Thunderbelles have more than a week to prepare for their next game against Galeries Tower on November 28 at Philsports Arena.
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