Vilma Salas of Petro Gaz Angels at the PVL Reinforced Conference. -Marlo Cueto/Inquirer.net
MANILA, Philippines – Vilma Salas and Petro Gazz are set for a tough quarterfinal game against 2019 Finals rival Creamline in the 2024 PVL Reinforced Conference
Tuesday’s contest is a rematch of the 2019 Reinforced Conference final between the Angels and Cool Smashers, this time with the returning Cuban trying to extend the lineage of Petro Gaiz and win it for late teammate Janissa Johnson.
“With Creamline, a lot of people are waiting for this game. It’s tough, but we go to court to fight. We go to court for everything. We have a lot more to come [confidence] now with the young players [after a slow start]Salas said after scoring 21 points during a 25-20, 25-16, 25-12 win over Chery Tiggo on Thursday to finish sixth.
Schedule: 2024 PVL Reinforced Conference Quarterfinals
Creamline took third place at 6-2 in the preliminary round, also without the trio of Tots Carlos, Alyssa Valdez and Gema Galanja, while Petro Gazz had to recover from a 1-3 start and then win four games in a row before reaching the quarterfinals.
“We go to the court to fight. We go to the court to smile and have fun every time,” said Salas, who scored a total of 74 points, including a career-high 40 against PLDT last week.
“I think this is the key point for PetroGaz to win every time [a game]And now we know that last part is more important. We will put everything into the court, even more than this second round, for sure.”
Since winning the championship – Petro Gazz’s first in 2019 – the former best foreign guest player believes a lot has changed with the PVL and the quality of play has improved with talented players and locals.
READ: PVL: ‘Staying together’ motivates Vilma Salas in PetroGaz’s revival
“I think in 2019, we will have [another] Good Import [Janisa]But I think this year we have better imports. That’s the difference. I think it’s more difficult for you to win,” Salas said.
Petro Gazz has a different crew from the 2019 team with Jonah Sabete, Janelle Cheng and Ivy Perez being the only survivors, and coach Koji Tsuzurabara handling MVP Brooke Van Sickle, Remy Palma, Ethan Arce, Mayla Pablo and Aiza Maizo-Pontillas.
But Salas’ goal is the same as Johnson’s, which is to win Petro Gaz’s third consecutive Reinforced Championship.
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“It is very special, this conference is dedicated to Janissa. Sometimes, I feel Janissa is in the court. I feel Janissa’s support [for] “This is a huge achievement for the team. So, of course, we will be on the court to win for Janissa,” he added.
