Still recovering from a high fever, Lindsey Vander Weide pushed through to anchor Petro Gazz as they averted a major collapse and handed Akari its first defeat, 29-27, 25-22, 19-25, 17-25, 15-11, in the 2025 Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference on Thursday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
The 28-year-old Vander Weide, who recently battled a fever that spiked to 40 degrees Celsius, came up clutch with 22 points as Petro Gazz improved to a 3-1 record in Pool B.
“Yeah, I’m not feeling great to be honest, but I was worse the last two days. So I knew when I woke up — and I was at least feeling decent — that I was 100% going to play the game no matter what. I wasn’t sure how great I was going to do,” said the former PVL Best Import.
(C) PVL Images
Petro Gazz had to dig deep to withstand a spirited fightback from the Chargers. Akari erased a two-set deficit, forced a decider, and nearly pulled off a stunning comeback before finally running out of steam.
Vander Weide led Petro Gazz’s late surge, delivering three crucial points in the Angels’ 4-1 finishing kick, including the final two. Her performance helped secure the hard-earned win after two hours and 19 minutes of play.
Djanel Cheng, Brooke Van Sickle, and Myla Pablo fueled the Angels’ hot 7-2 start in the fifth set. But Akari responded through Annie Michem and Ced Domingo, sparking a four-to-nothing run that cut the deficit to one.
Myla Pablo quickly restored order with back-to-back points, followed by a block from Cheng on Michem to put Petro Gazz up 10-6.
Cams Victoria provided a spark off the bench with an off-the-block hit, sparking a 4-1 run that again brought Akari within one. Vander Weide then took over, leading a 4-1 surge to close out the match.
“We knew that Akari’s tough. They actually… We came out firing, kind of let up a little bit. But we just kept battling, huddling the girls in timeouts — we battled,” said Petro Gazz head coach Gary Van Sickle.
“And that fourth set didn’t feel like it was happening, so we benched a couple of starters. They weren’t too happy, but we needed it in the fifth,” he added.
Brooke Van Sickle once again showcased an all-around performance with 19 points, all from attacks, alongside 13 excellent receptions and 12 digs. MJ Phillips dominated above the net with four blocks, finishing with 14 points.
Myla Pablo shone as an opposite hitter with 12 points on nine attacks, two blocks, and one ace.
Rookie playmaker Jules Tolentino contributed 23 excellent sets despite sitting out the fifth frame for veteran Cheng, who played a pivotal role in crunch time. Jellie Tempiatura was a defensive force with 19 excellent digs and 12 excellent receptions.
(C) PVL Images
Akari, which had opened the import-laden tournament with back-to-back wins, fell to 2-1 after the loss. Michem led the Chargers with 30 points on 25 attacks, three kill blocks, and two aces, along with 10 excellent receptions, but it wasn’t enough to claim a third consecutive five-set victory.
Fifi Sharma added 18 points in her best performance of the tournament, while Eli Soyud and Ced Domingo contributed 14 and 13 markers, respectively. Mars Alba and team captain Justine Jazareno also made key contributions, with 27 excellent sets and 18 excellent digs, respectively.
Akari looks to bounce back against Galeries Tower on Tuesday at 1:00 PM.
