A fine fit for BaliPure, Bombita wins PVL season's first Player of the Week plum

ILOCOS NORTE – When her original team Motolite folded early this year, Graze Bombita was courted by three teams.

Those three teams were Choco Mucho, Cignal, and BaliPure. She ended up signing with the Purest Water Defenders, a team where she started off her career in the Premier Volleyball League.

And it proved to be the right decision.

In the first week of competition, the 5-foot-9 outside hitter out of University of Nueva Caceres has been the surprise leading scorer of the league, dropping 21 points per match in two games played.

This included a 24-point outing in BaliPure’s 19-25, 25-19, 13-25, 27-25, 15-12 stunner to beat erstwhile-unbeaten Chery Tiggo last Thursday.

It was a huge bounce-back victory as BaliPure suffered a 25-16, 25-27, 25-21, 26-24 defeat at the hands of Army just two days prior that saw Bombita's 18 points go for naught.

For her efforts, the first PVL Press Corps honored her with the first Player of the Week citation this season.

Bombita bested the Creamline duo of Alyssa Valdez and Michele Gumabao; Choco Mucho’s Kat Tolentino and Deanna Wong; Petro Gazz’s Ria Meneses; and Chery Tiggo’s Jaja Santiago for the weekly citation being handed out by members of the media covering the volleyball beat.

But for the 30-year-old Bombita, the best has yet to come for her young team.

“Sobrang nakakataas ng morale. Ngayon lang namin napatunayan sa sarili namin na kaya pala talaga namin. So kailangan naming kumapit talaga para matapos namin hanggang dulo, which is eto na. Eto na ‘yon,” she said.

If the captain believes, the rest will follow.

“Heading into the tournament, sila (Chery Tiggo) ‘yung isa sa mga tinitignan natin na puwedeng mag finals,” echoed BaliPure head coach John Abella.

“So beating them talagang nakaka uplift ng spirits.”