Brooke Van Sickle led the Petro Gazz Angels to their second consecutive five-set victory in the 2024 PVL Reinforced Conference, defeating the PLDT High Speed Hitters.
Here come the champs?
After escaping the PLDT High Speed Hitters, 22-25, 25-19, 25-23, 19-25,16-14, Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena, the two-time defending champion Petro Gazz Angels have now pulled off consecutive five-set wins in the 2024 PVL Reinforced Conference, following their earlier escape of rival Creamline this week.
Brooke Van Sickle once again played a pivotal role for the Angels, delivering a remarkable 32 points, including the match-winning kill in the fifth set.
“Our backs are against the wall, and I feel like we’re just taking it day-by-day, game-by-game. I’m really proud of the team; we’ve been able to pull off five-setters, and that’s really hard to do," said Van Sickle.
"When it gets to five sets, it can go either way. You just don’t know what’s gonna happen. As an athlete, you wanna play in these situations. It makes the win a little bit special. But yeah, I would just [say], we’re fighting."
After a woeful 1-3 start, Petro Gazz has recovered and is now up to 4-3 in the standings thanks to this mid-conference surge.
Looking ahead, Van Sickle believes these tough five-set matches will benefit the team as the Angels prepare to advance to the quarterfinals.
"It’s good to have these five-setters early on because it’s very stressful, and you want to be in those moments. It’s how great players and teams are made—they’re able to stay consistent, calm, and handle business," said Van Sickle.
“I’m really happy we’re getting these experiences now. Hopefully, when it matters most, we’ll be able to stay calm and collected."
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With its 4-3 record, Petro Gazz will need another win to secure a ticket to the next round.
Despite their slow start to the conference, the reigning All-Filipino MVP noted significant improvements in their communication and chemistry compared to earlier games.
"Right now, we’re playing very cohesively. I feel like we are able to communicate in ways that we weren’t really doing in the beginning, so it’s helping us gel more and have that chemistry," Van Sickle explained.
"Everyone has that fight mentality right now. Even if someone isn’t excelling in one area, they’re contributing in other ways. We’re doing a great job of helping each other and staying together,” she added.
The Petro Gazz Angels will look to carry this momentum into their final preliminary match as they face the Chery Tiggo Crossovers in another crucial showdown on Thursday, August 22 at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.