FOR the first time in a long while, Bea de Leon and Ponggay Gaston are going to the games not as teammates but as rivals.

This is after Gaston moved to Chery Tiggo from Choco Mucho ahead of the 2023 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) season.

But there won’t be any bad blood between the former Ateneo teammates, as de Leon wishes Gaston all the best in the new chapter of her volleyball career.

“For the longest time we’ve been playing together since Ateneo. She will be on the other side of the court after so many years and more than anything I’m excited for her. It’s a new journey in her life so I really just wish her all of the best,” said de Leon.

And while there isn’t any bad blood between the two, de Leon said that the roasting session will be there like it always has been the case in their days as teammates in Choco Mucho.

“We’ll definitely see each other on the court. I’m very excited when we go against each other. We used to roast each other so that’s probably going to happen also in the games. More than anything, I just wish her all the best and hopefully she reaches her bigger dreams and bigger goals with her new team.”

De Leon and Choco Mucho Flying Titans have not made the podium since joining the PVL in 2019.

However, a new season brings optimism and with a new coach in the bemedalled Dante Alinsunurin, de Leon expressed confidence that they can finally finish at least top three in the PVL All-Filipino Conference.

“For this conference, we are definitely looking at the podium finish. With our new coach, we’re confident that we can do just that. Our spirits are high and our hopes are very high as well and we hope to continue to stay together,” said de Leon, whose team made the semifinals of the AllFilipino conference last year (then known as Open Conference) but missed the Final Four in the Invitational and in the Reinforced.