Torn between two teams

Jovelyn Gonzaga’s comeback trail has it a forked path. And for a moment, PacificTown-Army coach Kungfu Reyes didn’t seem to mind.

Reyes said Gonzaga, the Philippine Army corporal who is back in the club league scene after a long absence, will be suiting up for the Lady Troopers on Saturday and can rush to her other commitment after the game.

“If she wants to rush to the Cignal game, it’s okay with me,” Reyes said.

For the longest time, rival league Premier Volleyball League and Philippine Superliga have largely managed to avoid any scheduling conflict. Much has to do with the PSL’s one-league policy, which bars volleyball players from playing outside the Superliga.

But Gonzaga is an exception because the PSL accepts that the Philippine Army is her main priority.

And her two teams face separate opponents in venues over 30 kilometers apart with just a 30-minute gap in start times.

While the Lady Troopers are likely to get Gonzaga’s nod—the former national team standout wasn’t taking calls at press time—it is Cignal that needs her services more.

The undefeated HD Spikers go up against Petron at Muntinlupa Sports Center at 2:30 p.m., with the Blaze Spikers hoping to bounce back from a defeat to another undefeated squad.

Petron coach Shaq Delos Santos said his team is eager to move past a 25-21, 17-25, 27-25, 25-19 loss to rival F2 Logistics late on Thursday.

“Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise because now we know our opponents have leveled up and we need to work even harder,” Delos Santos said.

Cignal has certainly leveled up with the arrival of Alohi Robins-Hardy, a 6-foot-2 setter whose ball distribution is matched by her fierce net defense.

PacificTown-Army, meanwhile, opens a PVL triple-header at Filoil Flying V Centre, where it battles BanKo at 2 p.m.

Much of the focus of that heavy bill will go to star-studded Creamline, which guns for win No. 9. against winless BaliPure.