At 34, Aiza Maizo-Pontillas still wants to play as much as she can

PetroGazz Angels’ Aiza Maizo. PVL MEDIA BUREAU

MANILA, Philippines — While Aiza Maizo-Pontillas admitted she is at the twilight of her career at 34, she believes she still has a lot of gas left in the tank to help Petro Gazz in the 2022 Premier Volleyball League Open Conference.

The veteran opposite spiker scored 10 in her Petro Gazz debut, leading the team’s balanced attack to beat BaliPure, 25-14, 25-20, 23-25, 25-21, for their first Pool B win on Thursday at Paco Arena.

Pontillas said she’s not done yet and still enjoys playing professional volleyball even at her age.

“I just want to enjoy this season. I just want to play and give it all as much as I can,” said the former University of Santo Tomas star, who also had 14 digs on her first game as an Angel. “I will continue to play as much as I can.”

Petro Gazz head coach Jerry Yee rotated all his five wing spikers including Grethcel Soltones, Nicole Tiamzon, Myla Pablo and Jonah Sabete to maximize their new roster and manage the load of Pontillas, who played as substituted in the third set.

The 5-foot-10 spiker, who was acquired by Petro Gazz after Sta. Lucia took a leave from volleyball, understood that her coach had to make use of their deep bench and she’s glad that all her teammates delivered with Soltones and middle blockers MJ Phillips and Remy Palma also leading the way with 12 points each.

“Coach wanted all of us to play and contribute to the team. And it feels good to see everyone deliver and play well inside the court,” Pontillas said. “We are still adjusting. We had a slow start and we still have to work on our on-court communication.”

Petro Gazz, who is seeking to bounce back from last year’s heart-breaking semifinals lost to Creamline, will continue its Pool B campaign against PLDT on Monday hoping to secure one of the two twice-to-beat advantages heading to the quarterfinals.