Petro Gazz Angels celebrate a point against the Army Black Mamba in a PVL All-Filipino Conference. –PVL PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—Petro Gazz completed a dominant sweep to eliminate Army-Black Mamba, 25-21, 25-10, 25-13, in the Premiere Volleyball League’s All-Filipino Conference at San Juan Arena on Saturday.
The Lady Troopers, who are now virtually out of playoff contention with a 0-6 record, were dominated by a more composed Angels squad that defeated them in only an hour and 17 minutes.
“We really talked as a team and we said we can’t be complacent. After Thursday’s win, we had this one right away so we couldn’t relax because we really have to win these next games,” said Player of the Game Remy Palma.
Palma finished with nine points en route to the win but it was Jana Phillips and Aiza Pontillas who led the Angels to a 4-2 card with 16 and 10 points, respectively.
Army-Black Mamba gave up a better fight than the previous sets in the third with only a four-point deficit, 12-8. The Angels suddenly turned on the jets with a 7-2 rally to take a game-deciding 19-10 lead.
The Angels were already at match point, 24-12 when Palma overcooked a down-the-line kill to give the Lady Troopers a slim chance to extend the game. But Palma quickly made up for it with a kill to end the game in sweeping fashion.
In the second set, Petro Gazz mounted a momentous 14-6 start before scoring six unanswered points to get a 20-6 cushion. Since then, the Lady Troopers were limited to only four points.
WATCH: Remy Palma and Petro Gazz coach Oliver Almadro after win against Army-Black Mamba. | @MeloFuertesINQ pic.twitter.com/LFefU1lYQb
— INQUIRER Sports (@INQUIRERSports) March 4, 2023
“I really hope that the consistency, intensity and the level of play will be like this (in the playoffs), at a high level. If we are committed to being better than our best every game and every day, I’ll be happy,” told coach Oliver Almadro.
No players scored in double-digits for the Lady Troopers with Royse Tubino’s seven being the highest points output.