Brooke Van Sickle will be working with her family in the 2025 PVL Reinforced Conference.
DASMARIÑAS, CAVITE – Long before she became the explosive spiker that we know today, Brooke Van Sickle was once a young dreamer whose path to volleyball was shaped by her parents: Gary and Lisa.
Now a household name in the Premier Volleyball League, Brooke will once again be working with the very people who nurtured her love for the sport, with Gary taking over as the Petro Gazz Angels’ head coach and Lisa serving as an assistant.
On Thursday, October 9, the Van Sickles made their PVL reunion official as the Angels kicked off their 2025 Reinforced Conference campaign with a straight-set victory against the Galeries Tower Highrisers at the Dasmariñas Arena in Cavite.
Although it’s quite a unique setup, Brooke says that it is a continuation of the shared journey that began all the way back in Hawaii. Only this time, they aren’t just coaching one player — they’re coaching a whole team of professional volleyball players.
“Nothing has changed, and they’ve coached me for around 10 years — a tremendous amount of time before I went to college. They taught me all my fundamentals and everything about volleyball, such as my IQ and everything,” Brooke said after Petro Gazz opened the new conference with a commanding 25-21, 25-19, 25-14 win against the Highrisers.
“So it’s just picking up where we left off in a sense. I don’t feel anything weird about it, like it’s not cringe.”
For Brooke, having her parents around doesn’t just alleviate the homesickness; it also allows her to ask for feedback right on the spot, rather than having to deal with a huge time difference between the Philippines and the United States.
“It’s actually nice to have that feedback right away because they watch every single game and they know the team very well, like I’m the type of player to break things down and really analyze things,” shared Brooke. “So it’s nice to have them right then and there versus having to wait for them to wake up and watch the game, then get feedback. So it’s really helpful.”
Gary, meanwhile, cherished his first-ever win as a PVL head coach, knowing that his Angels are in for a challenge throughout the import-laden tournament. Having followed the league thanks to Brooke, the Van Sickle patriarch is also aware of the huge fanbase the league has built over the years.
“Everybody’s friendly and the environment is electric, so that makes it fun to coach. The competition is pretty good, coaches on the other side are tough. So we’re making adjustments as we go, but overall, I think it’s a good conference, and every win is gonna be a tough one,” he said.
The Van Sickle patriarch believes that the team’s foundation is already stable, and it’s only a matter of ironing out the kinks as the new conference moves forward.
“We didn’t rock the boat too much, and we’re trying to implement things here and there. But overall, I think the team is well-balanced and the coaching staff is really good. So we’re just coming in and making little adjustments here and there, and by midseason, we’ll be adjusted to what we want to do,” he explained.
All business
When talking about family ties in sports, we often think about mother and daughter, or father and son, rather than the Van Sickles’ parents and child setup. Given this, the question now is, how will they make it work in the long run?
As far as Brooke is concerned, that shouldn’t be a problem. After all, Gary and Lisa have been her coaches since high school, and they are no strangers to establishing a sound balance between work and family.
“That’s the nice thing about growing up and having them as my coaches right now. We already have an understanding and common ground where it’s like once we step into the gym, they’re not my parents,” Brooke explained during the Reinforced Conference media launch held last October 2.
“So they’re very educated with volleyball, their IQ is really great, and so they are able to make that adjustment and that separation. Outside of volleyball, we’re a loving family and everything, but when we step onto the court, it’s all business and we want to win.”
Now, it remains to be seen whether or not the Van Sickles can bring home another PVL title back to their newfound family.
Banner images taken by RJ Ballecer.