Thunderbelles break through

MANILA, Philippines — It took a battle-scarred spiker and a talented rookie for ZUS Coffee to claim its breakthrough Premier Volleyball League victory.

Veteran player Jovelyn Gonzaga dished out a masterful 23-point effort while Thea Gagate, the top draft selection, came through with 16 hits as the Thunderbelles pulled off a momentous 19-25, 25-23, 25-22, 25-15 win over the Nxled Chameleons in the PVL All-Filipino Conference at the Ynares Center in Antipolo yesterday.

“Sobrang happy ako natulungan ko maipanalo namin ito,” said Gonzaga. “But for me as a whole, nag contribute ang buong team. It was a total team effort.”

Apart from scoring, Gonzaga and Gagate were their team’s phalanx of defense with the former making a team-high 12 digs and the latter ending up with a match-best five blocks.

The win ended a 20-game losing streak – 0-11 as Strong Group Athletics in the AFC and 0-8 in the Reinforced Conference early this year then another one this conference – while launching ZUS Coffee’s ambitious campaign to make it to the playoffs.

In the nightcap, PLDT turned back a feisty Galeries Tower, 27-25, 25-22, 25-23, for a second straight win.

The Highrisers stumbled to 0-3.