A happy mind. That is the secret to Pangs Panaga's history-making night in the first game of the PVL's battle for third.
A dose of joy was evidently the secret behind Jeanette Panaga’s dominant Game 1 for the Creamline Cool Smashers at the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) battle for bronze.
Panaga—affectionately known as “Pangs”—recorded 9 blocks in Creamline’s 25-22, 22-25, 25-5, 25-19 drubbing of Chery Tiggo to move a step closer to a third-place finish. The 9 rejections ties the PVL Invitational Conference record previously held solely by Cignal HD spiker Roselyn Doria. The 28-year-old Panaga finished with 14 points for the match, adding 4 attacks and 1 ace to her record-tying 9 denials.
The Limay, Bataan native attributed her historic performance to being happy—a state of mind that, according to Panaga, allowed her and her teammates to play relaxed and pressure-free.
It indeed came in handy, especially in a postseason where they missed the Finals for the first time since 2017, thus failing to complete their Grand slam bid.
“Ang mindset talaga ng team is maglaro lang kami, and i-treat namin na happy, happy lang,” Panaga said when asked to assess her game. “So, less pressure. Sabi nga ni Coach She [Sherwin Meneses], isipin natin bakit tayo nandito, and makuha natin yung goal natin. I just wanted to play happy lang talaga.”
That happy mindset sure worked wonders for the former College of Saint Benilde standout, who admitted to being surprised about tying Doria’s record.
“Hindi ko talaga alam. As in naglalaro lang talaga ako for the team, and gusto ko lang talaga manalo,” said a beaming Pangs.
Then again, all that might be a bit of an oversimplification on the part of the soft-spoken, ever-humble Panaga, who is among the best middle blockers in local volleyball. In fact, this is not the first time Pangs has served up a dish of denials, having recorded 11 and 8 blocks in two matches in a different league before. She also happens to be a two-time NCAA Best Blocker winner.
Pangs will be looking for a repeat performance come Game 2 on Tuesday, as the Smashers look to clinch third place.