Myla Pablo would trade MVP for team title

MANILA, Philippines — Injury-hit Myla Pablo took the highest individual accolade in the Premier Volleyball League Season 2 Reinforced Conference last Wednesday but said she would have preferred towing the dethroned Pocari Sweat-Air Force to the championship where all of the Lady Warriors would be considered MVPs.

Pocari Sweat-Air Force’s title retention drive came to a halt on the very same day Pablo reinjured her lower back – in sudden death of their best-of-three semis showdown with eventual champion Creamline.

With Pablo forced to step aside after sustaining the injury during the warm-up, the Lady Warriors yielded to the Cool Smashers, 15-25, 18-25, 16-25.

“I was really hurt because that (Game Three of the semis) was a crucial game for us and that’s when the team needed me most,” said Pablo, who normed 16.6 points per game while chalking up a 39.09 percent success rate in attacks in the eliminations.

“I want to get the championship because then, all of us are MVPs. But I thank God for the award and I thank my teammates for trusting me,” she added.

Pablo, also the second Best Outside Spiker, said the award came as a surprise as she thought it would be handed to Creamline ace Alyssa Valdez.

“I thought the MVP was Alyssa. During the awarding, I even congratulated her already. I wasn’t expecting that it was my name that will be called,” said Pablo.

Valdez was recognized as the 1st Best Outside Spiker, Jeanette Panaga of Pocari Sweat-Air Force snared the 1st Best Middle Blocker award while BanKo-Perlas’ Joy Dacoron came away with the 2nd Best Middle Blocker trophy, Creamline’s Michele Gumabao and Jia Morado pocketed the Best Opposite Hitter and Best Setter awards, respectively, while Lizlee Pantone of PayMaya earned the Best Libero honors.

The High Flyers’ Tess Rountree got the Best Foreign Guest Player award.

In the men’s side, Marck Espejo of Cignal claimed the MVP and 1st Best Outside Spiker honors, but failed to lift the HD Spikers past Air Force which swept their best-of-three finals series in another five-set thriller, 23-25, 25-22, 25-21, 15-25, 15-13, Wednesday night.