MANILA, Philippines — Myla Pablo relished her comeback to PVL’s biggest stage but she wasn’t pleased with her performance after struggling with her minor calf injury in Game 1 of the 2024-25 All-Filipino Conference best-of-three finals.

Pablo returned to the finals for the first time in three years, chipping 12 points. She was checked, especially in the last three sets.

Petro Gazz still recovered in the fifth with coach Koji Tsuzurabara making adjustments, inserting Aiza Maizo-Pontillas with Brooke Van Sickle and Jonah Sabete to take down Creamline, 25-17, 25-20, 18-25, 20-25, 15-10, on Tuesday night at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

READ: PVL Finals: Petro Gazz holds off Creamline to draw first blood

Myla Pablo after winning Game 1. #PVL2025 @INQUIRERSports pic.twitter.com/pw0W8ArZwz

— Lance Agcaoili (@LanceAgcaoilINQ) April 8, 2025

“I’m happy to be back in the Finals, and we won Game One, but honestly, I’m not satisfied with my performance in that game. I still felt my calf a bit,” said Pablo in Filipino. “But my teammates said, ‘This is your last push, let’s give it our all on Thursday.’ So if my teammates are pushing me, then I should push myself too, so we can win on Thursday.”

The two-time PVL MVP bared that she’s been playing through calf pain since their semifinal game against Choco Mucho. She will make the most of the one-day rest to recover as they try to capture Petro Gazz’s first-ever All-Filipino title in Game 2 on Thursday.

“We don’t have a choice. We just need to make sure our bodies stay healthy and finish this conference without injuries. The good thing is our coaches always check in with us, asking if we can still play. If not, they’ll pull us out. I think it worked well in the fifth set when Coach had Aiza come in to help out,” Pablo said.

READ: PVL: Brooke Van Sickle embraces the noise, delivers in Finals debut

“I hope my calf holds up. On Thursday, we’ll focus on what we need to do to get the win and reach our goal as a team,” she added.

Pablo, who last won a title with the Angels in the 2022 Reinforced, is determined to play through the pain in her calf, seeking to win another championship with the Angels.

“All we want to do now is focus on the game this Thursday. We know Creamline will bounce back, so we’re focusing on fixing the lapses from the third and fourth sets, and hopefully, we can figure it out,” said the 31-year-old spiker.