Beach volley coach on Jovelyn Gonzaga’s non-inclusion in the pool: ‘Pinagtagpo pero hindi tinadhana’

National beach volleyball head coach Paul Jan Doloiras explained why Jovelyn Gonzaga, considered as one of the country’s seasoned players on the sands, did not make it to the pool that the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) revealed last week.

According to Doloiras, the 29-year-old Gonzaga has an obligation to fulfill with her mother club, Philippine Army, in the upcoming season of the Premier Volleyball League which he said could eventually affect her commitment to the national squad.

“Our priority really is to have players who are 100 percent focused on the beach,” Doloiras told GMA News Online.

“And Jov is needed by her mother team which is the Army because the competition in PVL is now tougher. That’s why we made this decision not to get her.”

The grizzled spiker was among those present when the federation held a three-day tryout last month in Subic, just days after her decision to beg off from indoor volleyball.

Gonzaga’s decision to focus on the outdoors made sense as she is considered as one of the faces of Philippine beach volleyball after leading the nationals in various local and international scenes including the 26th SEA Games in 2011 where she was paired with Aiza Maizo-Pontillas.

Gonzaga, a product of the Central Philippines University in Iloilo City, also suited up many times for the indoor team and was in fact the team captain when the squad waged war in the 2015 SEAG.

She, however, was sidelined for many months after sustaining an ACL injury back in 2017 but eventually made a comeback and donned the tricolors anew in the 2019 edition of the biennial meet.

But it might take some more waiting before the fans could see Gonzaga representing the flag again.

“We can still be together in the team at the right time,” added Doloiras.

“But for now, we are like ‘pinagtagpo pero hindi tinadhana’.” —JMB, GMA News