Chery Tiggo may have lost its first two games to start the PVL Reinforced Conference, but Mylene Paat was grateful to finally return to action after being out for more than a year due to a shoulder injury.
Paat suffered a supraspinatus tear-a muscle in the rotator cuff-in her left shoulder that required her to go under the knife. ‘Honestly, I was so happy. I didn’t expect to be on the court that long today. So my mindset has always been: every time I get subbed in, I’ll give my best and perform,’ said Paat, who contributed eight points off the bench in Chery Tiggo’s 25-11, 22-25, 29-27, 17-25, 15-7 loss to Akari on Tuesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
‘And I’m just really grateful that my coaches are starting to trust me more, even if I’m not yet 100 percent back to form.’
The former league MVP reflected on her journey, stressing the importance of mental strength and a strong support system.
‘I went through a lot. But even during those tough times, I never completely left training. While the team was practicing, I’d be there too, recovering on the sidelines. So I still saw what was going on, I still felt connected,’ said Paat. ‘During my recovery, there were so many ups and downs, or honestly, more like downs, downs, and more downs. But now, I feel like I’m slowly rising again.’
‘Mental strength is everything, especially after an injury like this. This was the most major injury I’ve ever had. But I think it actually helped me become mentally tougher. I learned a lot about patience, especially since my recovery took so long,’ she added.
The former Alas Pilipinas captain thanked her husband and Kazakh volleyball player Sergey Rezanov, who pushed her to keep going amid adversities.
‘Even when we were apart, he’d call me just to say things like, ‘It’s time for your range of motion exercises,’ and kept pushing me to stay consistent. He always reminded me, ‘Don’t get lazy. This is your path. And if you ever go back to zero, embrace it. Go through everything,’ she said. ‘I’m really thankful to him-he’s been such a big part of my comeback, encouraging me to push and play again.’
As she continues to regain her old form, Paat preaches patience as she continues to work her way into regaining her old form.
‘Even if I don’t get something right the first or second time, I know I’ll get it eventually. It’s all about sticking with it,’ Paat said. ‘What we need now is to finish strong. Endgame execution. We need more composure during those crucial moments and tighter sets. It’s all about our mentality, staying calm and tough inside the court.’
Chery Tiggo tries to get into the winning column against Petro Gazz on Saturday in Ilagan City.