Pablo, Motolite raring to rebound

MANILA, Philippines – With power hitter Myla Pablo back in shape and Fil-Am ace setter Iris Tolenada making her long awaited return, Motolite is all but revved up for the Premier Volleyball League Open Conference beginning Sunday at the Filoil Flying V Center in San Juan.

Motolite failed to live up to the hype in the Reinforced Conference as Pablo suffered a lower back injury that sidelined her in the first half of the elims and the team struggled and fell short of making past the elims.

But with the former National University star now fully recovered and Tolenada raring to showcase her stuff, Motolite looks forward not only to advancing to the Final Four but more so to contending for the championship.

“I’m really excited (to play) since I wasn’t able to play the way I wanted to in the Reinforced,” said Pablo. “I wasn’t fully recovered that time but now I’m good.”

Motolite looks even better with Tolenada, Pablo’s former teammate at Pocari Sweat, joining the squad after a three-year hiatus.

"Iris is a big addition (to the team),” said Pablo. “We’ve been in constant touch as to her stint with Motolite, so I’m really excited to play with her again.”

So does the 27-year-old Tolenada.

“I’m excited about this team. We have lots of potential, both players and coaches, so I’m excited to see where this team can go in the future,” said Tolenada, who last saw action in the Philippines as part of the Pocari Sweat Lady Warriors in the final season of the V-League back in 2016.

Since then, Tolenada has been serving as a high school club volleyball coach in the US for her alma mater, San Francisco State University, but the urge to compete soon resurfaced.

"The older I get, the more I realized that I can’t play the rest of my life, but I can coach the rest of my life, so I wanted to come back and just be a free spirit and have fun and just enjoy the game while I still can," Tolenada said.

Completing the Motolite roster are Genn Layug, Jellie Tempiatura, Clarice Ramos, Isa Molde, Arielle Estrañero, Rose Ponce, Bernadette Flora, Fenela Emnas, Diana Carlos and Aie Gannaban.

Motolite gets the chance to test its wares early as it faces defending champion Creamline at 4 p.m. in the second of an explosive triple-bill that also features BaliPure versus Choco Mucho at 2 p.m. and BanKo-Perlas against Air Force at 6 p.m. on Tuesday.

Creamline opens its title-retention drive against comebacking Air Force at 2 p.m. in Sunday’s inaugurals with Reinforced champion PetroGazz and BanKo-Perlas clashing at 4 p.m.