The mentee is making the mentor proud over at Chery Tiggo.
Even athletes have their idols. But not all have the honor of playing with the people they look up to.
That makes Pauline “Ponggay” Gaston one of a privileged few.
The 25-year-old outside spiker surprised PVL fans back in January when she signed with the Chery Tiggo Crossovers after two years with the Choco Mucho Flying Titans. Looking back, it appears Gaston had a compelling reason to make that bold move, as the Crossovers have the inimitable Mylene Paat. The 2022 PVL Reinforced Conference MVP, incidentally, is one of the players Gaston looks up to, and now the fun-loving Ponggay is sharing the court with one of her idols.
“Even before I moved to Chery kilala ko na si Ate Mylene, and isa sa mga nilu-look up to [ko],” said Gaston after the Crossovers the Army-Black Mamba Saturday afternoon at the PhilSports Arena for their second win in as many games.
And, as Gaston tells it, she has been a Paat fan for quite some time now.
“When we had the [PVL] bubble in Ilocos [from July to August 2021], pag may chance ako makipag-feeling close sa kanya, talagang I took the opportunity,” Gaston shared. “Kasi kahit we’re in the same league, I have a lot of volleyball players that I look up to and I can see as my mentor. Kaya po alam ko na bago palang ako makapasok, meron na kong kilala na mag-aalaga sa ‘kin.”
Just a month after joining Chery Tiggo, it looks like Gaston has already made quite the impression on her new team, bringing good vibes to the Crossovers, just as she told One Sports previously. And that is something Paat has noticed herself.
“Yung pagka-jolly niya inside the court, ‘yun yung pampa-boost ng morale namin,” Paat said of the good vibes Gaston has been bringing to Chery Tiggo. “Bukod sa talent na meron sa kanya, kasi knowing Ponggay, kahit ano magde-deliver at magde-deliver 'pag pinasok. Aside from that, yung pagka-jolly niya… lagi niya kami pinu-push kahit nasa bench siya.”
It’s safe to say the mentee has been making her mentor proud, and more of that might lead to bigger things for Chery Tiggo this season.