By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Petro Gazz bucked an erratic start as it turned back Chery Tiggo, 22-25, 25-12, 25-18, 27-29, 15-12, to inch closer to clinching the bronze medal in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Thursday, May 9.
The Angels had to dig deep to regain their composure and even crawled back from a crucial fourth-set loss to outplay the Crossovers and moved a win away from the consolation trophy.
Brooke Van Sickle exploded for the Angels with 36 points highlighted by 31 kills, four blocks and one ace while MJ Phillips also carried the fight with 15 points built on five blocks and three aces.
“I’m just happy that we were able to bounce back and be able to control our emotions during crucial moments,” said Van Sickle, whose team lost steam in the round-robin semifinals with a 1-2 win-loss record despite being the top-seeded squad.
Petro Gazz came close to winning the match in four sets but squandered an 18-14 lead as Chery Tiggo banked on Eya Laure’s off-the-block attacks to forge the game into a decider.
But the Angels refused to be intimidated, untangling themselves from a 4-all by firing five straight points spearheaded by MJ Phillips for a comfortable 9-4 edge.
The Crossovers made one final push by tying the game at 12, before Van Sickle and Phillips conspired for back-to-back kills and KC Galdones sealing the match with an ace for the Angels.
Eya Laure had 23 points while Ara Galang chipped in 11 points for the Crossovers, but their efforts weren’t enough to upstage the Angels.
Overall, Petro Gazz’s rock-solid net defense and sharp serves steered them to victory.
They actually posted 16 blocks and 10 aces in the 2-hour, 21-minute affair.
Petro Gazz seeks to finish their best-of-three series in Game 2 on Sunday, May 12, at the same venue.
