PSL All FIlipino Conference 2015

March 29: Gumabao and Gohing vs former team mates!

Old alliances and friendship will be set aside when a pair of lovely belles — Michele Gumabao and Melissa Gohing — clash with their former teammates in the 2015 Philippine Superliga women’s volleyball tournament All-Filipino Conference on March 29 at The Arena in San Juan.

Now carrying the colors of Philips Gold, Gumabao and Gohing face Shopinas at 2:30 pm while Mane ‘N Tail and Cignal collide at 4:30 pm in a bid to seal their first victory in this prestigious inter-club tourney backed by Asics, Mikasa, Senoh, Mueller Sports Medicine, Via Mare, LGR and Healthway Medical.

After campaigning for AirAsia and Generika together with their former teammates in De La Salle University in the past two conferences, Gumabao and Gohing decided to bolt out of the Lady Clickers for a much-needed change of environment and quest for that elusive first crown.

But in their debut game against Petron, which is powered by another former Lady Archer in Aby Marano, Gumabao and Gohing were obviously missing their comfort zone as they failed to make an impact that led to a sorry straight-set loss for the Lady Slammers.

“It felt strange facing Aby for the first time, so what more if we face coach Ramil (de Jesus) and our former La Salle teammates?” said Gumabao, who finished with a forgettable seven kills for a total of eight points in their opening-day loss.

“We may not be teammates this conference, but we will always be friends at heart. But I have a mission to accomplish and that is to help Philips Gold win a championship.”

Philips Gold Francis Vicente admitted that his team is still a work in progress and setter Iris Tolenada, the top overall pick who won the Most Valuable Player plum in the competitive California Collegiate Athletic Association, is still finding her groove as well as rookies Myla Pablo and Desiree Dadang.

“We’re still jelling,” he said. “But don’t worry because the girls assured me that they will be back stronger and better in our next game against Shopinas.”

Like Philips Gold, also groping for form is Shopinas.

De Jesus said they have met only thrice and yet to conduct a full-blown practice. Although they eked out a 25-22, 25-22, 16-25, 25-14 triumph over Mane ‘N Tail in their debut, he was still not happy over the rustiness of their performance on both ends of the floor.

“We still need more practice,” said de Jesus, admitting that the loss of Gumabao and Gohing somehow played a role in their sluggish performance. “Michele and Mel used to be the veterans on my team. They are the leaders. They are supposed to lead their younger teammates. They provide a lot of things that do not appear in the stat sheet, so losing them really means a lot.”

With Gumabao and Gohing no longer on his bench, de Jesus is banking on veterans Michelle Laborte, Cha Cruz and Stephanie Mercado together with fresh recruit Kim Dy, who delivered 10 kills for a team-high 17 points in the opener.

Games for March 29 Sunday at the San Juan Arena
2:30 pm — Philips Gold vs Shopinas live on AksyonTV and Solar Sports
4:30 pm — Mane ‘N Tail vs Cignal. Live on AksyonTV and Solar Sports
Live stream for both matches and replays are on http://sports5.ph

Tickets available at the gate. (P100/P150)