By Joshua Kyle Beltran

Still having to support from the sidelines, Far Eastern University (FEU) Lady Tamaraw team captain Gerzel Petallo has stressed how her road to recovery not only served as a trial of discipline, but also a test of the squad’s versatility.

“Patience talaga, kasi wala ako masyadong pasensiya… ‘Yun siguro ‘yung nag-progress sa journey ko ng healing (Patience is key, because I am not patient… I think that is what I learned to have during my recovery). On [the] mental side, it’s about frustration, more on [a] test of patience. Kung andun ka talaga sa phase ng recovery, sometimes kasi talaga nada-down na ako (During the phase of recovery, I cannot help but feel down)… I am ready if you want me, kaso hindi talaga puwede i-risk (But it’s not worth the risk),” the green-and-gold team captain said in an interview with FEU Advocate. 

While the Morayta-based volleybelle is still unable to fully play, Petallo remains grateful that she regained her shoulder’s range of motion, describing it as an already ‘massive progress.’ 

Beyond the physical restraints, however, lies Petallo’s greatest challenge of how to temporarily commandeer a Final Four-hungry team from the bench. 

A leader through and through

In what seemed like a blink of an eye, the Lady Tamaraws were forced to operate without their offensive frontrunner to start the second round of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 88 women’s volleyball tourney.

Petallo, however, did not let the situation affect the team’s mindset, nor halt her duties as team captain. 

Despite feeling helpless, the outside hitter still prioritized boosting her teammates’ confidence, making sure they got the support they needed. 

“‘Yung time nung games, sobrang ano rin ako, parang down, dahil sa injury; na hindi ako makakatulong sa team. Pero nung [game against] National University (NU), sabi ko, kahit andito ako sa side, kailangan ma-feel nila na andiyan pa rin ako… Ina-assure ko rin sila na ‘I’m always here’… as [their] captain, [and] as [their] teammate (During the games, I was very down that I could not play. But when it came to NU, I wanted to make sure my teammates felt my presence. I assured that I was there),” she said.

Sure enough, the Morayta-based team won against University of the East, and finally broke free from the ghost of their past that is the Lady Bulldogs to grant them well-needed momentum.

Trust above all

For Petallo, one of her greatest reliefs is how the team took charge and put more trust in themselves — and more importantly, in one another.

“Mas nag-ease ‘yung pakiramdam ko. Talagang lahat sila nag-step up sa game… Lalo na kay Lovely [Lopez], kay Alyzza [Devosora] (I felt at ease. All of them stepped up. Especially Lovely and Alyzza),” she recalled.

At the same time, the FEU team captain explained how that trust goes both ways, only showing how strong a foundation the team has and how it helped them overcome the challenge of her absence.

“Grabe ‘yung sinabi din niya [Devosora] sa akin na ‘kahit wala ka, tiwala ka sa amin, gagawin namin ‘yung trabaho namin’… Naramdaman ko na, ‘this is for you’… ‘tutulungan ka namin na makabalik,’ kahit wala pa ako (What Alyzza said came as a shock to me, that even if I’m not on the court, they wanted me to trust them. I felt that they were doing to help me get back),” she shared.

Finally breaking free from their NU curse, Petallo wanted to make sure that the team would not become lax, but instead become stronger looking forward.

“Hopefully din na hindi mawala ‘yung tapang sa game palagi. Baka kasi since natalo namin ‘yung NU, baka may relax-relax, [pero] sana wala ‘yun (I hope it makes them stronger. I don’t want them to become complacent just because we beat NU),” she stressed.

While she awaits her return to the taraflex, the Petallo-led Lady Tamaraws now look to revert their University of Santo Tomas (UST) heartbreak tomorrow, March 29, at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion in Manila City. 

(Photo courtesy of the UAAP Media Team)