Some of PetroGazz Angels off-season recruits. PETROGAZZ TWITTER
MANILA, Philippines—PetroGazz’s offseason haul has put the rest of the Premier Volleyball League on notice months before competition began.
The likes of former internationals Ces Molina and Myla Pablo immediately boosted the Angels’ pedigree and the addition of Kath Arado, Remy Palma, and Ria Meneses just made the team all that more formidable on paper.
Team manager Camille Cruz said she’s aware of the hype that’s quickly surrounded her team and that the players are ready to accept the challenge of having a collective target on their backs.
“We’re grateful that this is the image the team has at the start of the year,” said Cruz in a Zoom interview. “We take it as a challenge to prove that this team is not just a collection of strong names but this is a team that would be very competitive.”
Recruiting the new players, however, required a lot of work for Cruz after some members of the team who decided to leave in 2020.
The departure of Cherry Nunag, Jonah Sabete, Maricar Nepomuceno-Baloaloa, and Jovielyn Prado prompted management to sign new players to fill the void.
Cruz said that the initial plan was to retain the previous lineup but that didn’t come to fruition.
Fortunately for the Angels, teams from both the Philippine Super Liga and the PVL also released their players, allowing Cruz and her team to sign some free agents.
“It wasn’t an easy process because the plan of the management was to retain our 2020 lineup but we had players who decided to transfer,” said Cruz. “We’re just blessed and grateful that we were able to acquire those who were available.”