Beijing Baic Motor head coach Kuang Qi was left surprised by the sheer grit Petro Gazz showed on both offense and defense following their thrilling five-set battle in the quarterfinals of the 2025 AVC Women’s Champions League.
The Angels pushed the Chinese title favorites to the brink last Friday, snatching a 2-1 set lead before ultimately falling in a heart-stopping five-set thriller, 29-31, 25-19, 25-20, 20-25, 12-15, to bow out of the grueling 12-team, eighth-day tournament.
Heading into the match, Kuang already anticipated a relentless defensive effort from the reigning Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference champions.
What caught him off guard, however, was the explosive scoring by Petro Gazz led by American reinforcement Gia Day and local standout Brooke Van Sickle.
“I was surprised by how the Philippine team did today. But I know how good on defense they are, I’m just very surprised with how good on offense they are,” Kuang admitted through an interpreter right after the intense five-setter.
(C) PVL Images
Day turned in her finest performance of the tournament, exploding for a team-high 34 points on top of 15 excellent digs and 10 excellent receptions to power Petro Gazz’s spirited stand.
Reigning PVL All-Filipino Conference MVP Brooke Van Sickle provided 17 points on 12 attacks, three aces, and two blocks to go along with 22 excellent digs. Jonah Sabete tallied 15 markers and 12 excellent digs, while MJ Phillips had 11 points and, surprisingly, nine excellent digs.
Liberos Jellie Tempiatura and Baby Love Barbon also played a role in the Angels’ massive defensive stand, with Tempiatura tallying eight excellent digs and Barbon adding seven digs and seven excellent receptions.
Petro Gazz held a narrow advantage in nearly every scoring category, registering 76 attacks and eight aces compared to Baic Motor’s 71 and two, respectively. However, it was the Chinese squad’s towering presence at the net that proved decisive, as they amassed a staggering 18 blocks to the Filipinos’ eight.
Kuang expressed that the match was an invaluable experience for his squad, providing them with crucial insights and momentum.
“It’s a great learning lesson for us. We’re doing great, I’m happy with what we did on the court and also in bringing a lot of Chinese women’s volleyball spirit to the court. I’m happy with the whole thing.”
