Brooke Van Sickle erupted for 36 points as Petro Gazz moved one win away from the bronze medal after denying Chery Tiggo in five sets, 22-25, 25-12, 25-18, 27-29, 15-12, in Game 1 of the 2024 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference Battle for Third, Thursday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Van Sickle contributed in every department with 31 attacks, four blocks, and one service ace along with 10 excellent receptions.
“Yeah, I couldn’t do it without my teammates, right? It’s a six-man sport, and I didn’t realize that I had that many points,” said the 26-year-old outside spiker from Hawaii, deflecting credit to her teammates.
The Angels will look to finish the job on Sunday at 4:00 PM, still at the Big Dome. On the other hand, the Crossovers must shoot for an equalizer.
After losing lopsidedly in both the second and third sets, the Crossovers found their second wind in the fourth. Aby Maraño, Eya Laure, EJ Laure, and Ara Galang all contributed significantly.
It was Galang who sent the game into the fifth set by first hitting a crosscourt kill before blocking Jonah Sabete, resulting in a score of 29-27.
But many heroes lifted the Angels in the decider. MJ Phillips and Sabete combined for five straight points early on, turning a 4-all affair into a 9-4 lead for their side.
Mylene Paat, however, willed Chery Tiggo back with back-to-back points, creating the final deadlock of the match at 12.
Then Van Sickle nailed her 36th point with a crosscourt spike. Phillips followed by putting Petro Gazz at match point with a smart power tip off a mis-set by Joyme Cagande.
KC Galdones eventually finished the match with a service ace for the triumph in two hours and 35 minutes.
Sabete produced 21 points and 11 digs, while Phillips ended up with 15 points, built on five blocks and three aces.
Djanel Cheng also had a strong game with 22 excellent sets along with eight points. Meanwhile, the two liberos, Jellie Tempiatura and Blove Barbon, contributed with 12 digs and 18 receptions, respectively.
Petro Gazz is aiming to return to the podium after missing it in the past two conferences. It finished ninth in the 2023 Invitational and sixth in the Second All-Filipino.
Eya Laure paced the skidding Chery Tiggo with 23 points and 11 receptions, while Ara Galang had 11 points.
This is the Crossovers’ fourth straight loss after going winless in the round-robin semifinals.
