ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles in the PVL All-Filipino Conference.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net It’s an exciting time for ZUS Coffee.
The Thunderbelles waited 20 games and three conferences to finally score their first franchise win. They didn’t have to wait as long for victory No. 2.
ZUS Coffee’s 25-22, 25-16, 25-19 shutdown of Galeries Tower in the All-Filipino Conference on Thursday, in fact, added something new to the young franchise’s list of milestones. A first winning streak. And it wasn’t hard to figure out what is making the team lick this time.
“If there is talent in the team, it makes a lot of difference,” coach Jerry Yee, who surprisingly showed up again in the postgame press conference, said in Filipino. “When you have higher-tier recruits, it’s a big deal.” As expected, No.
1 Rookie Draft pick Thea Gagate has been making the biggest difference for the team that has long resided at the bottom of the standings. “Thea will be Thea. It’s different now that she’s there: for blocking and offense, you already have an advantage.
It’s becoming easier for the team to transition from offense to defense,” Yee said. “This time, in terms of height, skills, we have that. Beauty as well,” a visibly elated Yee joked.
“It’s better to have the materials because if you don’t have that how can you work?” This is the most beefed-up roster that ZUS Coffee had. It previously made do with unheralded free agents and was not even able to exploit the servi.