MJ Phillips made her much-anticipated return as Petro Gazz finished the elimination round with a four-set win over Nxled, 22-25, 25-23, 25-23, 25-22, in the 2024 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference on Saturday at the Philsports Arena.
Phillips delivered late for the Angels, scoring four of the team’s last points to help Petro Gazz fend off the hard-fighting Chameleons.
The team has grabbed the No. 1 spot heading into the round-robin semifinals after compiling a 9-2 record with a league-best 28 points.
The 6-foot middle blocker finished with 11 points on nine attacks, one block, and one ace in her first game since returning to the Philippines more than a week ago from her stint with the Gwangju AI Peppers in the Korean V-League.
“It feels good to be back, honestly. Seeing familiar faces but also seeing new faces as well. It’s been an adjustment, like the new system and some new players, figuring out how to work with them on the court,” said Phillips.
With the game tied at 19-all, Phillips scored on back-to-back hits to kick-start a 3-0 swing that gave the Angels a 22-19 advantage.
Nxled never recovered from there.
Phillips put on the finishing touches to end the game in two hours and nine minutes.
Brooke Van Sickle continued her hard-hitting ways, tallying a game-high 26 points on 22 attacks and four blocks, along with 15 excellent digs for Petro Gazz.
Jonah Sabete added 12 points, while Aiza Maizo-Pontillas chipped in 11 markers in the victory.
Babylove Barbon registered 18 excellent receptions and 13 excellent digs. Meanwhile, Ivy Perez tossed 11 excellent sets, along with contributing six significant points.
Petro Gazz will take on Chery Tiggo on the first day of the round-robin semifinals on Tuesday at 6:00 PM at the same venue.
Meanwhile, the Chameleons fell short of ending their campaign with a win, dropping to 4-7.
Ivy Lacsina scored her personal-conference high 28 points on 21 attacks, four blocks, and three aces, along with nine excellent receptions and eight excellent digs.
It was not enough, though, as Nxled failed to sustain their strong start.
Jho Maraguinot had 15 points and 10 excellent receptions. Meanwhile, Camille Victoria and Lycha Ebon had 11 and 10 points, respectively, in the loss.
