BY: Jerome Lagunzad
With its back already pushed against the wall, powerhouse Pocari Sweat suffered yet another big – and potential knockout – blow in its bid to complete a season sweep.
Reigning Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Open Conference MVP Myla Pablo might not be at her full strength as she continues to recover from a UTI (urinary tract infection), giving the Lady Warriors another reason to feel uneasy ahead of tomorrow’s Game 2 against the BaliPure Water Defenders.
The 5-foot-9 Pablo, 23, also named as the tourney’s 1st Best Outside Spiker, was admitted to the Cardinal Santos Medical Center in Greenhills, San Juan City the morning after Pocari Sweat suffered a disappointing 22-25, 19-25, 22-25 loss to BaliPure last Saturday night.
“Okay naman na siya pero may kaunting sakit pa rin sa tiyan,” disclosed Pablo’s long-time partner, Perlas Pilipinas coach Pat Aquino, in a phone interview yesterday. “Kailangan lang niya lang magpahinga sa ngayon.”
And that’s precisely what Pablo needs to do as she tries to redeem herself from a season-low nine-point performance in the opener of the best-of-three affair, with Pocari Sweat fighting for its dear life and aiming to come up with a strong follow-up to its Reinforced Conference title conquest last June.