Once collegiate rivals standing on opposite sides of the net, Brooke Van Sickle and Gia Day now find themselves donning the same jersey, fighting side by side for Petro Gazz in the 2025 AVC Women’s Champions League.
It’s a full-circle moment for Van Sickle, a University of Hawaiʻi alumna, and Day, a former Baylor standout, as the once NCAA foes now join forces to lead the reigning Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference champions on the continental stage.
“It’s definitely a full-circle moment. Volleyball is such a small world. It’s awesome,” said Van Sickle. “I’ve known her for a long time, so it was really cool to be able to reconnect and have her come here.
“Playing club volleyball in the States, that’s how I met her. We ended up doing a stint thing in our senior year. We got invited to play in some games from around the country, so everyone got to play in like this fun game,” added the reigning PVL All-Filipino Conference MVP, who has known Day for nearly a decade.
The 27-year-old Fil-Hawaiian spiker shared that she had long hoped for a chance to team up with Day, and now that it’s finally happened, she couldn’t feel more thrilled to share the court with someone she’s admired for years.
(C) PVL Images
“I’ve been hoping and praying she’d join us, so it’s amazing how everything just fell into place,” she said.
Day brings an impressive international résumé with professional stints in France, Puerto Rico, Italy, and Indonesia. She also played for Daejeon CheongKwanJang Red Sparks in South Korea — where she first crossed paths and built a connection with another Petro Gazz star, MJ Phillips.
But while the reunion of Van Sickle and Day marked a meaningful new chapter in their careers, their international campaign didn’t quite get the fairytale start they were hoping for.
The Angels fell short in their AVC Champions League debut, suffering a tough 15-25, 16-25, 25-19, 20-25 loss to Kaohsiung Taipower on Monday at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
Day led the way for Petro Gazz with 18 points off 16 attacks and added eight excellent digs, while Van Sickle contributed 13 points on 11 attacks, along with eight digs.
Van Sickle reflected on the team’s mindset, noting that their lack of joy on the court contributed to the rocky start. That dip in energy, she said, disrupted their rhythm and ultimately cost them the game.
“I think the biggest thing is we play the sport because we love it and we want to have fun. I feel like today, we just really did not have fun,” said the former PNVF Champions League MVP.
“I’m not trying to discredit Taipower. I thought they did amazing. They’re a team that can push you physically, mentally. They’re just good at what they do. They stay in rhythm. They’re very disciplined. They’re just a disciplined team, so that’s what we can learn from,” she added.
Despite the tough loss, Van Sickle remains confident in the Angels’ ability to bounce back — especially after the team showed signs of improvement and grit in the latter sets, slowly regaining momentum against the Taiwanese powerhouse.
“Moving forward as of today, we need to have more discipline and just stay together with higher energy. It was kind of like a rollercoaster moment, but towards the end, we did start pitching a little upwards hill,” said the 5-foot-9 outside hitter.
“We’re expected to get pushed. These are all championship teams for a reason, so we gotta switch our mental and get after it next game and just try to bounce back and stick together as a team as much as possible and just reflect.”
Petro Gazz head coach Koji Tsuzurabara, Brooke Van Sickle, and Gia Day reflect on their opening loss to Taipower in the #AVCChampionsLeague
@jonashdcd /Tiebreaker Times #PVL2025 pic.twitter.com/HNIHDmb2AZ
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) April 21, 2025
