Petro Gazz punched its ticket to the 2024-25 PVL All-Filipino Conference Finals after dismantling Akari, 25-22, 25-20, 25-18, to complete a sweep of the round-robin semifinals on Thursday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Angels will make their sixth Finals appearance and their first since the 2023 All-Filipino Conference, where they fell to the Creamline Cool Smashers in three games.
A win by Creamline later in the day will set up a championship showdown with Petro Gazz, while a Choco Mucho victory will force a playoff for the second Finals slot.
Game 1 of the best-of-three Finals is set for Tuesday at the Big Dome.
“It feels very surreal,” said Brooke Van Sickle, who is advancing to her first Finals appearance after three conferences with the team. “It’s been a very long conference with a lot of ups and downs, and to be where we are right now is amazing. I wouldn’t want to do it with any other team.”
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The Angels shut the door on an Akari comeback with a dominant finish in the third set.
Holding a slim 15-13 lead, Van Sickle, Aiza Maizo-Pontillas, Joy Dacoron, and MJ Phillips spearheaded a blistering 10-5 run, sealing the victory. Off-the-bench spark plug Nicole Tiamzon delivered the final blow with an off-the-block kill, securing the straight-sets win in just 95 minutes.
Myla Pablo led the way for Petro Gazz with 16 points built on 11 spikes, four blocks, and an ace. It marked her second consecutive game showcasing strong net defense, following her five-rejection performance against Choco Mucho.
“Sobrang happy na makabalik po kami sa Finals. Actually, para kay Brooke po talaga ito eh kasi you can see naman the two conferences before, grabe yung ginawa niya. Sabi nga namin nung team building, para kay Brooke itong Finals na ito,” said Pablo.
Van Sickle backed up her stellar performance with 15 points and nine digs, while Phillips contributed nine points as Petro Gazz secured its first straight-sets win in the semis.
Blove Barbon also stepped up defensively, tallying 12 excellent receptions and 11 digs.
On the other hand, Akari finished the semis at 1-2 with just two match points, relegating them to the battle-for-third series.
Even if Choco Mucho defeats Creamline, forcing a triple-tie, the Chargers’ match points would not be enough to send them to the Finals.
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Grethcel Soltones, who came off the bench, led Akari with 14 points and five excellent receptions, while Ivy Lacsina chipped in eight points despite sitting out the third set.
Libero Justine Jazareno had 12 excellent digs but did not return after hitting her head against the LED board near the bench while attempting to save a ball in the third set with Petro Gazz leading 14-12.
