Converted and healthy Miner gives ZUS huge On Tour boost

AC Miner (right, photo above) is averaging 10 points for the Thunderbelles. —PVL IMAGES

AC Miner is fit again and is thriving in her new role as an opposite spiker, helping ZUS Coffee win its first two games in the PVL on Tour.

A promising player for the Thunderbelles since she was drafted last year at No. 5 as a middle blocker, Miner emerged as the top rookie of the Reinforced Conference while helping ZUS to a breakthrough Finals appearance with Anna DeBeer, only for them to settle for a runner-up finish behind defunct Petro Gazz.

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The Ateneo product, however, suffered a shin injury that sidelined her in the All-Filipino.

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And in her comeback, Miner is not only working her way to her top form, but she’s also embracing a new role after being converted to an opposite spiker.

“Considering that I also changed positions, I’d say I’m about 85 percent,” said Miner in Filipino after scoring five points as a substitute to Jovelyn Gonzaga in a 25-14, 25-20, 25-23 sweep of Choco Mucho in Batangas on Saturday. “I’m not fully recovered yet, and I’m still adjusting to my new role.

“But I’m doing my best every day to reach the level the team expects from me,” she went on. “Of course, it feels great to be back. It feels good to be playing with my teammates again and to represent ZUS on the court once more.

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“I’m just really happy that my recovery has been effective and that I was able to return in time.” she added.

In their first game against Akari on Wednesday in Ilagan, Miner led ZUS Coffee’s four-set win with 15 points off 11 kills and four blocks

The sophomore is grateful for the guidance of Gonzaga, who has been one of the best opposite hitters in the country.

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“(She) has been a huge help because she’s been playing much longer than I have,” Miner said of the lefty Gonzaga, for whom she is regularly asked to fill in. “Together with our other veterans, they’ve really helped build my confidence. They constantly guide me so I can contribute more to the team and become more confident in my game.”

Miner said she was converted because of a stacked middle blocker rotation that counts Riza Nogales, Zam Nolasco, rookie Nicole Ong and Thea Gagate, who is currently with Alas Pilipinas for the Asian Games training pool.

It’s not the first time that she played as an opposite, as Ateneo also converted her in some games.

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“I guess I’m the one with the most experience playing opposite among our middle blockers, so I was moved to that position,” she said. “Overall, I just have to do my best and apply the same mindset I had as a middle blocker. INQ