The Petro Gazz Angels emerge victorious in a dramatic semifinals bout against the Choco Mucho Flying Titans to solidify their grasp on a finals berth.
Before a crowd of 7,485 at the Philsports Arena in Pasig, the Petro Gazz Angels turned the tables on the Choco Mucho Flying Titans to complete an impressive 24-26, 25-18, 25-17, 27-25 comeback in Day 2 of the 2024-25 PVL All-Filipino Conference semifinals.
Petro Gazz now tightens their grasp on a finals berth following the emotional victory, improving to 2-0 with one more playdate left in the single round-robin tournament.
“Choco came out and they did a fantastic job, like they’re just physical! They’re digging balls, they’re jumping hard and they’re just doing Choco Mucho things. And for us, we just kept trying to stay grounded, trying to stay patient,” star hitter Brooke Van Sickle said post-game.
“We knew it wasn’t going to be a pretty win, like it was going to be a grovelling, tiring win. And yeah, it took everyone, just trying to stay as a team. It was rough, but a win is a win and we’ll take it.”
Set 4 thriller
Set 4 proved to be the turning point of Tuesday’s nightcap, where the Angels erased a 15-21 deficit to complete their dramatic comeback against Choco Mucho.
However, tensions ran high during the endgame, with a spike by Choco Mucho’s Royse Tubino being ruled as a down-the-line hit, allowing the Titans to inch closer, 24-23.
It was here that the Angels opted for a ball-in/ball-out challenge, which resulted in a crucial 10-minute stoppage of play that saw several discussions involving PVL and Petro Gazz officials by the scorers’ table.
The call was ultimately deemed inconclusive following a referee’s challenge, as closer camera angles were blocked by the linesman’s flag and Pablo’s left foot.
But for a while, it seemed like there would be another controversial end to a high-stakes contest.
“Well, kasi ‘yung challenge na ‘yun, sabi namin kung ano maging resulta, mas mag-focus na lang kami sa loob ng court. Kasi hindi naman namin hawak ‘yung puntos or ‘yung challenge,” veteran hitter Myla Pablo said, recalling the Angels’ discussions during the lengthy stoppage time
A Tubino block on Pablo allowed Choco Mucho to level the game at 24-all, before an off-the-block hit by Aiza Maizo-Pontillas, and back-to-back kills from Pablo completed the Angels’ comeback.
“Kaya nga sabi namin [after the challenge], nag-usap kami sa loob ng court na one point na lang and kunin na natin,” Pablo said as she reflected on the game’s closing sequence. “So after that na na-block ako ni Ate Tubino, sabi ko kay [Djanel] Cheng, ‘Cheng isa pa!’. Yun din ‘yung naging maganda kay Cheng na ang laki ng tiwala samin.”
Set 4 was also a show of resilience from Pablo, who admitted feeling pain in her previously-strained left calf.
“Nafi-feel ko nanaman ‘yung calf ko during the fourth set, kaya medyo wala ako sa loob ng court, kasi parang trauma pa ako sa F2 [Logistics Cargo Movers] before, na pinilit ko ‘yung calf ko noon and na-strain ako…parang nung sinabi ni Brooke na, ‘Myla, you can play!’
“Sabi ko kailangan ako ng team, especially ni Coach Koji,” Pablo recalled.
“Parang ginawa ko ‘yung trabaho ko, medyo nag-alalay pa ako sa fourth kasi medyo takot pa ako. And then after that, nag-pray lang ako na ‘Lord help me, na ilayo niyo ako sa ganung injury. So ayun natapos na, and parang sabi ko ‘Okay na, magpapahinga na tayo!’” concluded Pablo, who laid down on the Taraflex after sealing the game with an off-speed hit.
Two-way effort from Petro Gazz’s stars
Along with their Set 4 comeback is the defensive stand shown by the Angels’ one-two scoring punch of Pablo and Van Sickle.
Van Sickle’s team-high 17 points were accompanied by 12 digs and an impressive 22 excellent receptions, while Pablo accounted for five out of the Angels’ 16 rejections along with nine digs in her 13-point effort.
“Yeah, I just try to take every touch seriously, like how I think about defense is that the better I dig the ball, there will be more opportunities that my teammates get. The better I dig, the more calm it is versus like a chaotic, out of system situation
So I try my hardest to get the middles involved, and try not to stress the setters out that much and just give everyone good opportunities. So I feel like that’s how the thought process should be with defense
Pablo attributed her five rejections to the desire to remain impactful outside of scoring.
“Ako kasi, kung di man ako makakuha sa palo, depensa, or receive, mas magfo-focus ako sa blockings. Kasi hindi lang naman iisa ‘yung ginagawa mo sa loob ng court,” the veteran hitter said. “I think naging tulong na rin ‘yun kay Brooke. Siya umoopensa at dumedepensa, so ako naman nagba-block din sa loob ng court.”
Pablo also tipped her hat off to Maizo-Pointillas, who recorded four rejections in the winning cause while providing on-court leadership.
“Malaking tulong din samin si Nang with four blocks din, naging [composed] kami sa loob ng court, and mayroong mature na leader sa loob ng court. I think ‘yun ‘yung naging maganda sa loob ng court, na may leader kami kahit wala si Rem [Palma] sa loob.”
Petro Gazz will look to snag their finals berth this Thursday when they lock horns with the Akari Chargers at the SMART Araneta Coliseum, while Choco Mucho hopes to save their season in a rivalry match against the Creamline Cool Smashers on the same date.
Images courtesy of the Premier Volleyball League.