For Gia Day, the thrill of volleyball had slowly faded — if not entirely disappeared — throughout her recent stints, leaving the game feeling more like a routine than a passion.
Over the past five years, Day has played non-stop, chasing the thrill across different countries.
She began her professional career in Puerto Rico, then journeyed through Italy, South Korea, and Indonesia—before finally returning to the United States, with each stop marking a meaningful chapter in her relentless pursuit of the game she loved.
But hopping from country to country came at a cost for the now 26-year-old Day, and slowly, the joy she once found in the sport began to slip away.
Then came a call from Petro Gazz. Another team, another country — at first, it felt like routine for the weary Day, another stop on the never-ending, exhausting journey.
Fresh off a historic 2024-25 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference championship, the Angels enlisted the spiker out of Romeo, Michigan as their sole reinforcement ahead of their campaign in the AVC Women’s Champions Cup.
(C) PVL Images
What she expected to be just another ordinary stint turned into something far more meaningful as she got the chance to reconnect with a couple of familiar faces in Petro Gazz stars Brooke Van Sickle and MJ Phillips.
Van Sickle, was a former US NCAA rival from her Baylor days, while Phillips was a friend she made while playing for the Daejeon CheongKwanJang Red Sparks in South Korea.
Petro Gazz’s campaign in the AVC Women’s Champions Cup began with high hopes but quickly faced a challenging start.
The Angels stumbled out of the gate, dropping a four-set match to Chinese Taipei’s Kaoshiung Taipower. Yet, in true Angel fashion, they rebounded with resilience.
With Day, Van Sickle, and Phillips leading the charge, they dominated Hong Kong’s Hip Hing, securing a crucial spot in the quarterfinals.
Each day she spent with the squad, the weight of routine lifted. And it was in the knockout stage that things finally began to feel less like work and more like the joy she had longed for.
Facing title favorites Beijing Baic Motor, the American outside hitter poured her heart out on the court as she fought to lead Petro Gazz, the team that rekindled the very passion for volleyball she had almost forgotten.
Day erupted for 35 points and added 15 excellent digs, but it wasn’t enough as the Angels ran out of steam in the endgame, faltering against the taller, more experienced Chinese squad in a thrilling five-set match, 29-31, 25-19, 25-20, 20-25, 12-15, to bow out of the eight-day tournament.
(C) PVL Images
“I’m very angry right now because I think that the girls did really enough for us to win,” said an emotional Day during the post-game press conference.
“I could have kept it up in the last sets, but I’m really proud of how everyone worked so hard. It just brought tears to my eyes because the girls wanted it so bad and they had so much fun — this was like, the most fun game I’ve ever played in. So I’m very thankful for them,” she added.
“Because coming here, I wasn’t having fun playing volleyball, but with them, I had so much fun. So I thank them very much for working hard.”
Day came to the Philippines with nothing more than an obligation in mind, but what she never anticipated was finding a new family — one that would reignite the spark she had thought was long gone.
And she would surely love to come back next time to relive the magic and to continue the journey with the family she never expected to find.
“For sure, for sure. The girls are so much fun, the culture is so fun. I know the season’s a very weird time, the import season. But I hope one day, for sure to return. Definitely, it’s in my future plans. If they’ll have me.”
