Gumabao’s leadership key to Pocari Sweat’s early V-League success

Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

As far as leadership is concerned, Michele Gumabao has lots of it. 

Gumabao won a three-peat as one of the leaders of the De La Salle Lady Spikers and her new coach at Pocari Sweat knows the 23-year-old is fully capable of rallying her team in any way possible. 

Rommel Abello said it’s been Gumabao’s steady guidance that has propelled the Lady Warriors to a three-game win streak to begin their maiden campaign in the Shakey’s V-League Open Conference. 

“I guess yung condition ng katawan nila and I guess yung leadership ni Michele kasi every training nakikita namin na pinu-push niya ang mga teammates niya to perform better kahit sa training lang,” said Abella after his team ripped apart Laoag in three sets Saturday at San Juan Arena. 

Gumabao, even in her playing years with La Salle, has been known as one of the feistiest players and she had Abby Maraño as her partner in crime during her years as a Lady Spiker. 

Abella, though, does not only point to Gumabao’s presence as the sole factor in their early success, the Lady Warriors also train using head coach Tai Bundit’s military-like regimen where if a player commits a mistake, she’ll have to redo the drill from the start. 

And that training got translated to the match against Laoag as the Lady Warriors limited Jema Galanza to only nine points, her worst game arter scoring 16 and 14 points in her previous two games.

“Ang focus talaga namin as a team is yung gagawin namin on the court hindi yung tinitignan namin kung sino ang makakalaban namin,” said Abella. “Ang focus namin is yung part namin, yung essentials kumbaga para manalo sa laro, receive, defense and then block.”