CANDON, ILOCOS SUR — No matter where the Premier Volleyball League goes, AC Miner’s support system follows.
From the outskirts of Metro Manila to the far reaches of Ilocos Sur, the ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles middle blocker has had familiar faces cheering her on. On Tuesday night at the Candon City Arena, that continued as her mother, Arnie Lopez, and her father’s close friends, Jimmy Smith and Leanne Panganiban, made the seven-hour drive north to witness ZUS Coffee’s final Pool B match.
They didn’t go home disappointed.
Miner powered the Thunderbelles to a gutsy 19-25, 25-22, 18-25, 25-19, 15-6 comeback win over the Chery Tiggo Crossovers, helping her squad finish with a 3-2 record heading into the knockout phase of the PVL On Tour preseason tournament.
The former Ateneo standout and fifth overall pick in the 2025 PVL Rookie Draft dropped 19 points on 15 attacks and four blocks, drawing added motivation from her personal cheering squad in the stands.
“Super thankful po ako kala tito at saka sa mom ko na umabot dito para manood. Lagi silang sumusupport sa team, hindi lang sa akin,” said Miner.
It wasn’t just family Miner thanked. She also acknowledged the Ilocano fans who packed the arena despite the recent heavy rains and the lingering impact of typhoons Dante and Emong.
“Nagpapasalamat po kami sa lahat ng nanood. Kami rin po, natutuwa kami na napasaya po namin yung araw… kahit ganon po yung sitwasyon,” she added.
ZUS Coffee has built a reputation for toughness in this preseason campaign organized by Sports Vision, going the distance in four of its five matches and winning three of those five-set battles. Much of that resolve, Miner noted, comes from the energy they’ve been getting from the crowd—especially in the provinces.
“Kahit ano yung weather, tuloy pa rin yung volleyball, tuloy pa rin yung PVL na magbigay ng magandang laban para sa mga fans po kahit saan.”
Despite their win, ZUS Coffee settled for fourth in Pool B behind Creamline (10 match points) and Chery Tiggo (9 match points), as the Cool Smashers clinched the quarterfinal spot with the highest tiebreaker score. The Thunderbelles finished with seven match points.
Still, the PVL On Tour has meant more than standings. For Miner, it’s an opportunity to bring the sport closer to communities that rarely get a chance to watch live professional volleyball.
“Very fulfilling po naman kasi not everyday nabibigyan ng chance makanood yung mga taga-province,” she said. “Very good kasi ngayon nakakapag on tour kami sa iba’t ibang regions… so very thankful po kami sa PVL for that.”
