Coach Jerry Yee savored ZUS Coffee’s rapid rise from being a pushover to a first-ever trip to the PVL Finals in the Reinforced Conference.
Yee took over the club last year and slowly rebuilt the program, adding Jovelyn Gonzaga, Chinnie Arroyo, and other veterans as well as drafting Thea Gagate first overall pick last year to bolster the core of College of Saint Benilde, led by Clo Mondoñedo. They made their maiden quarterfinals appearance in the previous All-Filipino Conference.
The veteran PVL tactician also signed star libero Alyssa Eroa, drafted AC Miner, Riza Nogales, and Mycah Go, and found a perfect import in Anna DeBeer.
Yee didn’t expect to go as far as the championship game, where his squad takes on his former team and powerhouse Petro Gazz on Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
He even cited a marketing strategy called ‘sandbagging,’ which means understating their predictions so that they can later exceed expectations.
‘In marketing, they call that sandbagging. We’re a small team and we’re young. ZUS was only formed on May 27, 2024, and in such a short time, right? We got lucky in the draft, and management worked hard to get the right pieces. They were aggressive in getting what we needed, and here we are,’ said Yee.
‘So I have to do my job. You’ve got to give back when management gives you that kind of support. It’s give-and-take. They show up for us, so we have to show up for them.’
The Thunderbelles dominated the elimination round, winning seven of their eight elimination games. They knocked out Capital1 in the quarterfinals and shattered PLDT’s bid for a third title with a stunning 25-22, 28-26, 25-22 sweep in the semifinals. Yee’s biggest obstacle now is the team he previously built, the Petro Gazz Angels. He was the pioneering coach of the franchise when it joined the PVL in 2018 and then helped the team win its first two championships in the 2019 and 2022 Reinforced Conference as program head.
He believes the Thunderbelles are the underdogs in this winner-take-all final.
‘We’re the underdogs. Honestly, the bosses and management are already very happy that we reached the semis. Their messages to us were, ‘No pressure, just play. We’re already happy.’ And we’ve already come a long way. That’s what they kept telling us. But for us, wherever we can go, we’ll keep pushing,’ Yee said.
‘Anna has given us so much confidence. We really lean on her. The locals are improving, the whole team is improving, and this is our chance. Why not try, right? We’ve played them before the result was okay. I’m sure there will be adjustments. I’m sure it’ll be different when we meet in the finals.’
With a chance to make history, the Thunderbelles vow to give their all.
‘We’re here now. We can’t back out at this point,’ Yee added.