By ADRIAN STEWART CO

Negrense Jonah Sabete of the Petro Gazz Angels saw it as a great experience for her facing taller opponents in the just-concluded AVC Women’s Volleyball Champions League.

According to the Negros Occidental’s Escalante City-native hitter, she had hesitations early on after seeing the towering players of the Beijing Baic Motors of China, their quarterfinals opponent.

“Nung nakita ko pa lang sila sa lobby, [sabi ko] ‘Papaano lulusot palo ko dito?’ At least, nakulam, nakalusot ‘yung mga palo,” said the 5-foot-5 Sabete, who tallied 15 points during their loss to Beijing.

“Coach Koji [Tsuzurabara] told me na hindi siya uubra na hard ball or babaon. Kailangan talaga, pa-check ball or ma-out, kasi bihira talaga na makapasok ‘yung normal na palo,” she added.

Despite taking an early set lead in the game, the Angels still suffered a tight 31-29, 19-25, 20-25, 25-20, 15-10 defeat to Beijing to bow out of the tournament.

Sabete recently played an important role for the Angels when they defeated the Creamline Cool Smashers for the 2024-2025 PVL 2nd All-Filipino Conference championship./ASC, WDJ