Despite feeling under the weather, Lindsey Vander Weide refused to sit this one out — and her determination made all the difference.
The Petro Gazz import fought through fatigue and a fever that soared to 40 degrees Celsius to help the Angels gut out a grueling five-set victory over Akari in the 2025 Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference on Thursday.
Just two days removed from a high fever and having missed practice the day before, Vander Weide rose to the occasion. And her performance carried Petro Gazz to a hard-earned 29-27, 25-22, 19-25, 17-25, 15-11 triumph over the Chargers at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
“It felt like I was on my deathbed,” Vander Weide told Tiebreaker Times, recalling her battle with a severe fever.
The 28-year-old outside hitter, still recovering, said there was no way she would miss the match — even if she wasn’t sure how well she would perform with the lingering effects of her illness.
(C) PVL Images
“I’m not feeling great, to be honest, but I was worse the last two days. So I knew when I woke up [earlier] — and I was at least feeling decent — that I was 100% going to play the game no matter what,” said Vander Weide.
“I wasn’t sure how great I was going to do, though.”
Yet Vander Weide hardly looked like someone coming off a fever.
The hard-hitting import came alive when it mattered most. She finished with 22 points and took charge in the clutch as the Angels closed out the fifth set.
With the victory, the team secured back-to-back wins and improved their record to 3-1.
Vander Weide hammered down the last two points that sealed the victory and effectively ended the Chargers’ spirited comeback bid.
Still, despite her standout performance, Vander Weide admitted she could have done even better — saying it would have been sweeter had Petro Gazz finished the job in straight sets instead of going the full distance.
“I think I could have done a little bit better, but for how I’m feeling right now, I’m happy that we won,” she said.
“Even though it was a hard five set match, I wish we did it in three of course, would have been a little easier for me. But the fact that we won, I’m very proud of my team.”
