Edgar Barroga raves about daughter Gyra for 'perfect' debut with Cocolife

MANILA, Philippines – For Cignal head coach Edgar Barroga, the performance of his daughter — Gyra — in her Philippine Superliga debut deserves nothing but a perfect 10.

After two forgettable years at De La Salle University, Gyra was finally unleashed as she powered Cocolife to a four-set conquest of Cherrylume-UE in the Chooks to Go-PSL Invitational Conference Monday night at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.

Gyra played like a hungry wolf.

She announced her arrival with 17 points built on 12 attacks, four blocks and an ace, leaving her dad beaming with pride.

“This is the first time I saw her play again. I was so amazed,” said Barroga, who politely asked his good friend, Ramil de Jesus, for the release of Gyra for the betterment of her volleyball career.

“I told her that everyone would definitely judge her. So a day before their game, we trained (inside the house) so she would be physically and mentally prepared.”

Barroga said she gave Gyra one simple advise before plunging into action.

“I told her that don’t be pressured and not to get too excited since this is the moment for her to show what she got. I also told her to just enjoy everything and the whole family is behind her.”

“I sensed that she was responding. It was a very positive attitude.”

True enough, Barroga responded big time.

Ranged against the Cherrylume-UE squad that is raring for redemption following a winless stint last year, Barroga spearheaded the Asset Managers to an impressive performance in the second and third sets.

Then in the fourth, she played like a seasoned spiker, helping the Asset Managers diffuse the uprising that the Iron Lady Warriors had engineered.

And for Barroga, that kind of performance deserves a perfect 10.

“I was so amazed and at the same time thankful because her team, Cocolife, trusted her. Even in the backline she was being asked to attack. My only worry is how to maintain it.”

“But from a scale of 1 to 10, I’ll still give her a perfect 10.”

Barroga said he was at the edge of his seat seeing Gyra in action.

He’s not just her father — he’s also her number one fan.