Brooke Van Sickle will be celebrating her 27th birthday with all smiles as the Petro Gazz Angels force a winner-take-all Game 3 in the 2024-25 PVL All-Filipino Conference quarterfinals.
ANTIPOLO—Brooke Van Sickle couldn’t have asked for a better way to celebrate her 27th birthday.
The Fil-Hawaiian spiker led the Petro Gazz Angels to a dominant sweep of the ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles, 25-19, 25-13, 28-26, in Game 2 of the 2024-25 PVL All-Filipino Conference quarterfinals at the Ynares Center Antipolo on Saturday, March 22.
Van Sickle delivered 17 points on 15-of-34 attacks, ensuring that the No. 2 seeded Angels bounced back after dropping Game 1 of the best-of-three quarterfinal series.
More than the win, the reigning PVL All-Filipino Conference MVP was pleased to see her team play with energy and confidence--something she had wished for on her special day.
“Yeah, my birthday wish was just to come out, play as themselves, and to just have good energy,” Van Sickle said during the post-game press conference.
“I told the team after the last game that if we play our game and we’re fighting, and we still end up losing, I’m still proud of the team. Because just to put the effort out there and enjoy the game is all I really want from the team.”
After a sluggish start in Game 1, the Angels knew they had to respond with urgency, and they did just that.
“You can’t come out flat because we’re at the point of the season where everyone wants it, everyone’s gunning for it,” Van Sickle said. “Last game, it was either you’re the hunter or the hunted. We were for sure the deer last game, so we had to come out firing.”
[ALSO READ: Myla Pablo stresses urgency for Petro Gazz after Game 1 loss: 'Kailangan talaga makauna kami']
With the decisive Game 3 set on Tuesday, March 25, Van Sickle is embracing the pressure and challenging her team to rise to the occasion.
“As an athlete, this is where we want to be, this is where we want to play—it’s in high-stakes matches,” she emphasized. “Diamonds are made under pressure. The best teams in the PVL know how to handle it, stay calm, be lethal, and accept the challenge. That’s what I’m challenging my team to do in Game 3.”
[ALSO READ: Brooke Van Sickle is living her 'dream' of playing in the Philippines | Off the Record]
But for tonight, Van Sickle will enjoy her birthday with her parents, who came to Antipolo to watch her game.
“It's awesome just to be able to have them in person and watch the game. It means a lot to me because they don't come here very often because of their work schedule and everything,” said Van Sickle.
“To be able to bounce back and still continue to play is really awesome, and it's just, I'm really happy because they take time to come out and watch me. I'm happy they're gonna be here for another game. They're my number one supporters,” she added.