Brooke Van Sickle admits to first game jitters in PVL debut

Petro Gazz Angels’ Brooke Van Sickle in her PVL debut.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — Brooke Van Sickle admitted she felt first-game jitters but still enjoyed her Premier Volleyball League (PVL) debut.

The Filipino-American sensation only had seven points in their 25-12, 25-20, 25-12 win over the debuting Strong Group Athletics in the All-Filipino Conference opener on Tuesday at Philsports Arena.

“I would say I feel like we’re a little tense and not really flowing as well. Probably first game jitters, a little bit,” said Van Sickle. “But you know, it’s still good to be able to play and start PVL with a win.”

“The other team did very well. I thought they blocked very well and they were scrappy so it’s a good win,” she added.

SCHEDULE: PVL All-Filipino Conference 2024

Petro Gazz Angels’ Brooke Van Sickle has a quiet PVL debut on Tuesday.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

Although she had limited touches, Van Sickle said their Philippine National Volleyball Federation Champions League, where she emerged as MVP in Petro Gazz’s title run, helped her familiarize the style of volleyball in the country.

“There’s always gonna be butterflies. It’s the start of the conference. I do agree that playing in the PNVF really did help a lot in having me get exposed to that type of play, the crowd, and everything,” said the former US NCAA Division 1 player. “I can only thank my teammates because they made it easy to adjust.“

Petro Gazz coach Koji Tsuzurabara said it was a so-so performance for the Angels, who gave up 27 errors in the game.

Van Sickle promises to train harder and decrease their errors moving forward, especially since they’re facing Choco Mucho on Tuesday next week.

“Choco Mucho, they’re a very good team. We’re gonna expect a really good fight,” she said. “We just have to go into this week just working extremely hard and continue to push to build that team chemistry.”