Coach O was overcome with emotion as his Angels brought him here . . . to the finals.
The Petro Gazz Angels are finals bound.
The Angels booked their seat in the finals after a dominant straight-sets victory—25-17, 25-23, 25-15—over the PLDT High Speed Hitters on Thursday night at the Mall of Asia Arena. It will be the fourth ever finals appearance of the Petro Gazz franchise and third in the last four conferences.
But Petro Gazz coach Oliver Almadro is a different case. This finals stint opposite the Creamline Cool Smashers will be his first in the PVL, and the enormity of the accomplishment was enough to turn Coach O emotional and introspective—if not a tad religious in the post-game press conference.
“The Lord will move to put you in the right direction,” said Almadro, perhaps referring to the path that led him to the Petro Gazz camp.
Almadro also admitted to being a bit surprised at how far the Angels have come, telling the press that he was “not expecting to be in the finals right now.”
“I really didn’t expect it,” Coach O said again after taking a deep, deep breath.
Of course, Almadro knows better that this achievement is not about him. But he also knows that his Angels have had to overcome quite a lot to get to the last dance this conference.
“I really thank these girls kasi they trusted me right away,” Almadro said. “[Making the] finals right away is a big blessing . . . Many teams underestimate us—wala naman yang Petro Gazz, ‘di naman sikat yan . . . But the performance will show for itself. Kung saan kami abutin, kung saan kami dalhin ni Lord. What strength, what power, what might the Lord will give us, we will just accept and show the people that we are a team and we are one . . . .”
Indeed, these Angels are a team. They are a pretty good team.
Or, as Coach O put it: “Petro Gazz family is the best.”
(With reports from Dannah Ruperez, One Sports Digital)