Paat relishes Thai award

I felt a lot of things during that day that I was only able to say ‘Thank You Lord’ out of happiness

Mylene Paat could not believe that she earned the best scorer award in the Volleyball Thailand League that ended Sunday.

“We were just waiting during the awarding ceremony since we have to go back to Korat to pack our stuff. They didn’t tell us about the individual awards,” Paat said.

“I felt a lot of things during that day that I was only able to say ‘Thank You Lord’ out of happiness.”

The 24-year-old teamed with fellow Filipina Dindin Manabat to power Nakhon Ratchasima QminC VC to a bronze medal finish after beating KhonKaen Star, 25-23, 25-17, 25-18.

Paat became the first Filipino volleyball player to win an individual award in a foreign league.

Chitaporn Kamlangmak also took home the Best Middle Blocker plum for the Cat Devils along with Kaewkalaya Kamulthala of Diamond Food.

Paat averaged 14.3 points in the eliminations, including a 27-point effort against KhonKaen Star last 23 December. The Cat Devils, however, lost, 26-24, 21-25, 21-25.

She and Manabat are set to return soon to join the Chery Tiggo Crossovers for the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Open Conference that kicks off on 16 May.

Paas said she is thankful for those who have helped her in her growth as a player.

“I’m thankful to the coaches who helped me improve my skills,” Paat said.

Chery Tiggo team manager Ronwald Dimaculangan said they won’t pressure the Adamson University alumnus to carry a heavier scoring load once the PVL starts.

“Her responsibilities are still the same. We don’t want to pressure them. We just want them to showcase their skills in the Thai league and bring what they learned back to the team,” Dimaculangan said.