With fire in her eyes and Game 1 on the line, MJ Phillips rose above the pressure and the net — delivering a clutch performance that brought Petro Gazz to the brink of a long-awaited breakthrough.
The Angels middle blocker exploded in the fifth set of Game 1, lifting Petro Gazz to a thrilling 25-17, 25-20, 18-25, 20-25, 15-10 victory over five-time defending champion Creamline in the 2024-25 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference Finals.
Phillips scored six of her 16 points in the final frame, carrying the Angels past the Cool Smashers after nearly squandering a 2-0 lead.
With the win, Petro Gazz moved just one step away from securing their first-ever All-Filipino Conference crown.
“Honestly, my teammates — I just kept looking them in the eye, and I was just like, ‘You guys got me, I got you,’ the whole entire time,” said the 29-year-old Fil-American middle blocker.
“It’s 15 points, but I took every point like it was my last. So, I mean, my team has my back, and that’s why I was able to do what I had to do on the court. Props to the team,” she added, humbly shifting the credit to her teammates.
The Carson, California native set the tone early in the fifth set, scoring Petro Gazz’s first three points: a block on Jeanette Panaga, a thunderous quick attack, and a booming ace that handed her side a 3-1 lead.
Phillips added two more in a blistering 7-3 run that pushed the Angels ahead, 10-4.
Creamline attempted a late rally, but Phillips put out the fire with a hammer of a hit off a floating ball that restored a five-point lead, 13-8 — effectively sealing the momentum and draining the fight out of the Cool Smashers.
(C) PVL Images
Still, Phillips remains grounded, fully aware that winning Game 1 doesn’t guarantee the series.
The last time Petro Gazz reached the All-Filipino Finals, they also drew first blood against Creamline — only to lose the next two games, including a lopsided Game 3 defeat. This time, Phillips said they’re taking those painful memories and using them as fuel.
“We just don’t think about that time,” said the former Gwangju AI Peppers import with a grin.
“No, we remember that and we’re gonna take that as fuel. We’re not gonna have that repeat [of] the past.”
The Juniata College alum also emphasized the importance of staying locked in and learning from the near collapse in Game 1, where Petro Gazz saw their early momentum fade before regrouping in the decider.
“Like I said, one game at a time, one point at a time. We’re gonna try our best to not have that third set like how we lacked energy and stuff. We’re just gonna come right off the bat and finish it,” said Phillips.
“We can fine-tune the blocking for sure and yeah, the energy is the most important. We know that they’re gonna keep fighting and push us to the wall. So we’re just gonna have to push back.”
#WATCH: Brooke Van Sickle, MJ Phillips, Jonah Sabete, and Coach Koji Tsuzurabara react to Petro Gazz’s epic Game 1 win—just one step away from making franchise history with their first-ever PVL All-Filipino crown 🏐
📹 @jonashdcd /Tiebreaker Times#PVL2025 pic.twitter.com/FSrsVvbFhF
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) April 8, 2025
