Remy Palma brushed off social media backlash following Petro Gazz’s early loss, focusing instead on the team’s strong rebound to secure a spot in the AVC quarterfinals.
The Petro Gazz Angels are moving forward—both on the court and in mindset—as they clinched a spot in the 2025 AVC Women's Champions League quarterfinals.
The PVL All-Filipino champions shook off their earlier defeat to Kaohsiung Taipower and stormed back into contention with a resounding 25-8, 25-12, 25-12 sweep of Hong Kong’s Hip Hing at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig on Tuesday, April 22.
Palma, who chipped in six points in the win, praised her team’s resolve and urged supporters to look beyond just the scoreboard.
“Siyempre, ‘yung social media backlash, it’s always there eh,” Palma said during the post-game press conference. “Whenever we win, whenever we lose, there’s always like comments about us, about our team, so regardless, we will stay as a team, we will play as a team.”
The veteran middle blocker stressed that the ongoing tournament is unlike domestic competitions.
Instead of facing PVL teams, the Angels had to get past Taipower, the runner-up of the Taiwan Enterprise League, and Hip Hing, champion of the Hong Kong League.
“I hope they understand this is a different stage,” Palma said. “Hindi naman mag-aaksaya ng panahon ‘yung mga international team to visit and play in this Champions League kung hindi sila contender lahat.”
[ALSO READ: Remy Palma shares journey with KojI Tsuzurabara after Petro Gazz’s historic PVL title]
Instead of getting weighed down by criticism, the 29-year-old Palma said the team used the loss to fuel their improvement.
“Hindi naman kapag natalo ka wala kang matutunan. Dapat pag natalo ka, you acknowledge what happened and then you accept and move forward,” Palma shared.
“Sabi namin, ang Petro Gazz pag natalo, alam natin ‘yan—magbo-bounce back ‘yan eh. So we did. We did it today and I’m proud of my team,” she added.
With all three Filipino clubs—Creamline, PLDT, and Petro Gazz—advancing to the next round, Palma celebrated the bigger picture.
“Sobrang nakaka-proud ‘yung ganung feeling na lahat nung representative makakapasok,” she said. “Big boost ‘yun for Philippine volleyball.”
[ALSO READ: AVC Women's Champions League schedule: Petro Gazz, Creamline, PLDT set to represent PH]
Up next for the Angels will be Beijing Baic Motor in the quarterfinals on Thursday, April 24.