Pauline Gaston had a bittersweet feeling after the Chery Tiggo Crossovers eliminated her former team, the Choco Mucho Flying Titans, in the semifinals race of the 2023 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference on Thursday night.
Despite the mixed emotions, Gaston put up an all-around performance of 12 points, 19 excellent digs, and 14 excellent receptions, helping Chery Tiggo secure its spot in the semis.
As a former Ateneo standout and a former player of the Rebisco-backed franchise, Gaston had to set aside her personal feelings to focus on helping her current team stay in semis contention.
"I still have a lot of respect for them, and I think they played really well, and that's why it's bittersweet," said Gaston after the win.
"When I saw them, I really missed them, and I saw that they're still complete. I was the only one who left, right? So I just really tried to set aside my emotions and played professionally."
Gaston’s familiarity with Choco Mucho’s tendencies helped her contribute to the game's overall outcome.
"I guess it was an advantage for me because I know them, I know their tendencies, so I think I was able to contribute a lot in this game because it's my former team," said Gaston, who took the place of the starting outside hitter EJ Laure, who did not play in the game.
Gaston also credited her teammates' effort, especially team captain Mylene Paat, for her stellar play in the all-important match. The 5-foot-10 outside spiker said that the team's overall performance against the Flying Titans was a total team effort saying, "I really have to thank my teammates and my coaches because they gave me the opportunity, and I really feel their trust in me, and I've been working hard. You know, someone like Mylene Paat really inspires me, so it's impossible for me not to be influenced by her character.
"Everyone in the team is making a great effort, and there's also EJ Laure, Shaya Adorador, and all the others in the middle. It's impossible for me not to be inspired by their character where we all push each other to improve, so I think it was a collaborative effort where they gave me the sets, and that's it."
As Chery Tiggo advances to the semis, Gaston will look forward to contributing to the team's success and continue to set aside personal feelings for the sake of the team's goal.
