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Three years later, Bang Pineda makes her comeback with the Petro Gazz Angels.
ILOCOS SUR — Bang Pineda has officially begun her second tour of duty with the Petro Gazz Angels.
Days after the team announced her return, Pineda made her PVL On Tour debut with the Angels during their final preliminary game day at the Candon City Arena on Tuesday, July 29.
Immediately named part of the starting six, Pineda finished with 12 excellent digs and 13 excellent receptions in Petro Gazz’s 20-25, 25-19, 26-24, 25-17 win over the Choco Mucho Flying Titans that also snapped a three-game losing streak in the preseason tilt.
In anchoring Petro Gazz’s floor defense, Pineda was also crucial in giving interim head coach Brian Esquibel a winning debut following the mid-conference departure of title-winning mentor Koji Tsuzurabara.
“Samin, maganda ‘yung tulong ni Bang, kasi andoon pa rin ‘yung form niya as a teammate before ng mga players. So talagang noong open ‘yung slot para kay Bang, hindi kami nagdalawang isip na kunin siya,” Esquibel said of the veteran libero.
Fresh off a year-long stay with the Nxled Chameleons, Pineda shared that it was Petro Gazz deputy Cha Cruz-Behag who reached out for a possible reunion with the Angels.
As she puts it, her homecoming came all of a sudden, and she has yet to spend a full week with the team as of writing.
“Tinanong ni Ate Cha kung available pa ako…actually, biglaan, and four days pa lang ako nakikipag-training sa kanila,” Pineda shared.
Pineda is expected to have a deep sense of familiarity with Petro Gazz, given that their core remains largely unchanged since her first stint with the team during the 2022 PVL season.
A part of Petro Gazz’s 2022 Reinforced Conference title conquest, Pineda will again team up with veterans Myla Pablo, Chie Saet, Aiza Maizo-Pontillas, and Jonah Sabete, to name a few.
“Kilala ko na rin sila maglaro, and good thing kasi nakaka-demand ako sa kanila, so tingin ko mas malaking factor ‘yun na makaka-adjust kami kagad, kasi may kanya-kanya kaming trabaho naman,” she said.
“So pagka sinabi ko na ‘ito na lang muna ‘yung kunin mo’, medyo mas napapagaan sa amin.”
Still, Pineda knows that there is no room for complacency, knowing that she must still adjust to a new system despite having a familiar set of teammates.
“Madami pang ia-adjust eh, kasi new system, iba ‘yung coach. Pero ‘yung feelings naman, same pa din, kasi ang dami pa rin naman naiwan na mga teammates ko before [hanggang sa] pagbalik ko,” she emphasized.
Early on, Pineda hopes to provide another layer of veteran presence to Petro Gazz amid their transition under new leadership.
Stars Brooke Van Sickle and MJ Phillips are also out due to national team duties until October, while young libero Babylove Baron suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear during the PVL On Tour’s stop in Batangas, according to Esquibel
“More on ‘yung kailangan kong tumulong, and madami pa akong tatrabahuhin since ang tagal kong hindi nag-training, parang almost two months. Tapos pagbalik ko, parang gulat ako na makakalaro ako! Kala ko rest ako for next conference eh, so ‘yun, trabaho talaga,” Pineda said of her early expectations.
Images courtesy of the Premier Volleyball League.