Thea Gagate, the first overall pick in the inaugural PVL Rookie Draft, has made her long-awaited debut with the ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles.
Thea Gagate had a lot to be grateful for on Thursday as she stepped on the taraflex at the FilOil EcoOil Arena in San Juan for her long-awaited PVL debut with the ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles.
Dealing with physical struggles, Gagate delivered as she scored 13 points in her debut to lead ZUS Coffee’s gallant stand against the Akari Chargers in a 14-25, 21-25, 25-19, 23-25 loss on Thursday.
“Thankful ako, hindi ko na-expect honestly na mag-double digits ako! Kasi may pinagdadaanan ako on the sides. But at the same time, happy din ako sa result ng game namin kasi nakikita mo ‘yung laban kahit na bago kaming team,” Gagate said during a short post-game interview.
Gagate was picked first overall by the Thunderbelles in the inaugural PVL Rookie Draft last July, which comes with the pressure of living up to the expectations. Viewing this pressure in a positive light, Gagate is eager to help ZUS Coffee rack up some wins as she lives up, or even exceed the expectations placed upon her last July.
“Well, honestly, meron naman talagang ganun weight. Pero I just think of it in a positive way na hindi ako ma-pressure sa sarili ko. Kasi alam ko din naman ‘yung kakayahan ko. And alam ko din na may tiwala ako sa team namin na kaya namin makapanalo ng [laro],” she said.
“As a rookie, syempre gusto ko lang mapakita kung anong kaya ko. And although I’ve already shown it during collegiate days [sa La Salle], ibang level na ‘to so I just wanna keep on improving myself especially sa lahat ng skills since I’m one of the tallest players here,” added Gagate, who stands around 6-foot-3 as a middle blocker.
Thea Gagate is also coming off a six-month Alas Pilipinas stint, where the nationals won three bronze medals starting with the AVC Challenge Cup in May, and the SEA V.League in Indonesia and Thailand in August.
“I just trusted kung ano ‘yung ibibigay sakin ni Lord. So ‘yun, hindi ko din naman in-expect na maganda yung result namin doon and at the same time, thankful din ako kasi ang dami ko talaga natutunan sa national team. And malaking bagay ‘yun sakin, especially now, coming sa PVL,” said the former La Salle Lady Spiker.
As mentioned, the Thunderbelles proved to be a thorn in Akari’s side, nearly forcing a fifth set before Ivy Lacsina and Faith Nisperos scored clutch kills for the Chargers. So now, it’s also a matter of learning from this loss, and their upcoming games throughout the new PVL season.
“Yun nga, sabi din ni Ate Jov [Gonzaga] na kailangan din i-work on ‘yung communications kasi ang daming lapses din. Pero thankful din kami na mahaba din ‘tong conference na ‘to para mas ma-work on pa ‘yung relationship namin inside and outside the court,” Gagate said.
Banner image courtesy of the Premier Volleyball League.