The Petro Gazz Angels will carry the memory of the late American hitter Janisa Johnson as they defend their Reinforced Conference crown.
When Petro Gazz stepped on the Philsports Arena taraflex on Thursday, a unique graphic stood out in their trademark red and white jerseys. It was the number ten, with an accompanying angel wing and halo.
Of course, this was the Angels’ tribute to Janisa Johnson, one of the two imports that helped them snag the 2019 Reinforced Conference crown with Wilma Salas. An outside hitter from Long Beach, Janisa passed away last May 25 after a brave fight with colon cancer.
“Malungkot kasi hindi namin siya kasama physically pero alam naman namin na nandiyan siya to guide us sa game. Hopefully, ma-guide niya kami hanggang matapos ‘yung liga,” longtime Petro Gazz setter Djanel Cheng told The GAME. She’s one of three Angels that was in the 2019 squad with Janisa.
“Parang lumalabas, ito ‘yung legacy na naiwan ni JJ. So, sobrang taas lang, so sana ‘yung kumpiyansa na makukuha namin from her, madala namin.”
Fittingly enough, the mourning Petro Gazz won their opening day assignment against the upstart Zus Coffee. Despite the Thunderbelles’ grit, the Angels’ veteran core was understandably too much.
Leading the Angels was Petro Gazz’s star spiker Brooke Van Sickle with a game-high 23 markers and the returning Wilma Salas who fired for 15. Salas, the Cuban star, was Janisa’s partner in Petro Gazz’s 2019 run.
“For sure, we are sad because Janisa isn’t here in this life. I came to dedicate this conference to Janisa, so every point, every decision we make on the team, we can think about Janisa,” Salas told reporters post-game.
“I miss her smile, every time. That’s what I miss so much about JJ.” Salas added later on. “She always brings a smile for every game she comes to. I miss her so much.”
Van Sickle, on the other hand, had never met Janisa, despite sharing the same jersey number as her. But even so, she recalls hearing “great things” about the late spiker, as well as the love Janisa’s gotten within Petro Gazz.
So while they’ve never met, Van Sickle is also turning to Janisa Johnson as an inspiration for her second campaign with Petro Gazz.
“Just how everyone talks about her, and seeing everything from the past, she’s a wonderful person. Like I feel like I’m not worthy of being able to wear the number, but I’m gonna try my hardest to play for her and everything. Hopefully, go for first place, so yeah,” Van Sickle told The GAME in a separate interview.
Good win, but…
Now, it’s a matter of gelling further for Petro Gazz, especially in Wilma Salas’ case. During the post-game interview, it was revealed that the Cuban had only trained for four days with the Angels.
Salas, though, feels right at home with her “family”, even if it’s vastly different from how Petro Gazz looked in 2019. Now, it’s just a matter of getting more mileage with the Koji Tsuzurabara-mentored team.
“I have only four days with the team, but I can feel that this was a good choice…so I’m sure that day-by-day, when I regain my rhythm, I can get better every day,” Salas told The GAME.
As for coach Koji, Salas said: “[He’s] very funny…the system I like very much, it’s a very good system. A good experience because he has coached in Japan, Korea, different teams. So I can feel good about this.”
Van Sickle, meanwhile, acknowledges the added pressure to build on their All-Filipino Conference run, where they reached the quarterfinals. Now, it’s just a matter of taking it day by day for her and Petro Gazz, on top of playing their best games moving forward.
“How I see it, is this league’s going to be very tough, and not only the imports, but everyone on a certain level. Volleyball’s just getting better every single conference, and with the imports coming in too, shoot I don’t know what’s gonna happen, but we’re gonna try,” Van Sickle told reporters post-game.
Regardless, Petro Gazz will now have Janisa Johnson smiling upon them as they go on about their Reinforced Conference. Who knows, maybe their second PVL championship will come with Janisa watching over them this year, right?
Banner Image courtesy of the Premier Volleyball League. Special thanks to Noel Zarate.
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