Gumabao believes V-League crown meant for Pocari from the start

Pocari Sweat. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

Is Michele Gumabao Alyssa Valdez’ kryptonite?

The former La Salle star doesn’t want to look at it that way.

“Hindi naman ganoon. It was more of the team,” she said.

Gumabao and teammate Melissa Gohing have heard all the talks, with the record books showing them denying Valdez championships from their UAAP days to the V-League.

The latest came on Monday, when Pocari Sweat dispatched Bureau of Customs in two games to snare the Shakey’s V-League Season 13 Reinforced Conference.

But the 24-year-old opposite spiker said that whenever she and Valdez faces off, it about which team wants the title more.

“Every time nagkakatapat kami, yung teams namin parehong kundisyon din. Hindi naman ako ang nag-deny kay Alyssa, pero lahat kami,” she said.

Gumabao praised Valdez for the hard work in leading the Transformers to Finals, but in the end, it’s her Lady Warriors who emerged as the hungrier one.

“(Valdez) worked hard for it, and her team worked hard for it. Pero at the end of the day, it’s the team that wants it the most, the team that worked and prepared harder for the championship,” she said. “Sabi (ni Alyssa) sa last interview, parang hindi nila masyado pinaghirapan dahil kulang sila sa training, and if she said that, I think she knows what they lacked in.”

With all due respect to the other teams, Gumabao said that she felt Pocari Sweat was destined to win the championship.

“I think this championship from the very start was really meant for us. We’ve worked hard for this, went to every game wanting to win the championship, and it was our end goal and finally, nakamit na namin,” she said. “We had our weaknesses also, but in the end, I believe kung para sa yo, para sa yo.”