Thea Gagate of ZUS Coffee made an unforgettable entrance into the Premier Volleyball League (PVL), clinching the Rookie of the Year award at the Pilipinas Live PVL Press Corps Awards Night held on May 28 at Novotel Manila Araneta City in Quezon City.
Selected as the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s inaugural Rookie Draft, Gagate lived up to the hype by leading the Thunderbelles to their first-ever playoff berth in the 2024-25 All-Filipino Conference.
The 6-foot-2 middle blocker, a former three-time UAAP Best Middle Blocker from De La Salle University, earned a weighted score of 148.1 points in the award’s criteria, which is composed of 50% statistics, 30% media votes, and 20% team votes.
She topped all three metrics:
- 46.6 statistical points
- 65.7 from media votes
- 35.8 from team votes
Gagate outperformed fellow rookies including Cignal’s Ishie Lalongisip (125.8), PLDT’s Angge Alcantara (105.5), and teammate Shar Ancheta (99.6).
In her first PVL conference, Gagate registered 48 blocks, ranking second overall with an average of 0.74 per set. She was also the highest-scoring middle blocker and ranked 14th in total scoring across all players with 190 points, earning her one of the two Best Middle Blocker honors.
Her award came alongside the announcement of the PVL Mythical Team, headlined by two-time MVP Brooke Van Sickle of Petro Gazz and Bernadeth Pons of Creamline, both selected as Best Outside Hitters.
- Van Sickle led all outside hitters with 195.36 points
- Pons followed with 150.49 points
In the middle blocker category, PLDT’s Majoy Baron (232.4 points) and Creamline’s Bea De Leon (229.4 points) stood out.
Other individual awardees included:
- Trisha Tubu (Farm Fresh) – Best Opposite Hitter, 419.8 total points
- Gel Cayuna (Cignal) – Best Setter, 326.4 points
- Alyssa Eroa (Galeries Tower) – Comeback Player of the Year, 266.0 points
Gagate’s stellar debut solidifies her place as one of the league’s most promising rising stars.