PVL: Myla Pablo, Van Sickle power Petro Gazz into quarterfinals
Myla Pablo and Brooke Van Sickle lead Petro Gazz Angels against Capital1 Solar Spikers in the PVL All-Filipino qualifying round. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — Myla Pablo and Brooke Van Sickle fanned Petro Gazz’s blazing hot streak as they beat Capital1, 25-19, 25-23, 25-21, to barge in the 2024-25 PVL All-Filipino Conference quarterfinals on Saturday at Philsports Arena.
The Angels, who finished with a 10-1 record in the preliminary round, cruised to their 10th straight win and booked a ticket to the best-of-three quarterfinals against the No.7 seed.
LIVE: PVL All-Filipino Conference – Qualifying Round March 1
Van Sickle led Petro Gazz with 19 points built on 15 spikes, two aces, and two blocks, while Pablo poured in 17 points off 15 kills, one block, and an ace.
“It’s good. I thought Capital1 did a fantastic job. They definitely came fighting today. We started off a little shaky, I thought in the first two. When Myla was in the third set, we started calming down. At first, we forgot to enjoy the game. Now, every game really matters. It’s a do-or-die situation right now,” said Van Sickle, who also had 14 excellent receptions and nine digs.
“To be able to have 10 games [wins] is good for confidence. But we can’t relax. It doesn’t matter at this point. There are still more games ahead. We just have to keep pushing and improving. It’s a long journey still.”
The two-time Reinforced Conference turned to Pablo and Van Sickle anew, needing to fend off the gallant stand of the Solar Spikers in the first two sets before pulling away in the third with a 16-10 off MJ Phillips’ block.
Petro Gazz Angels’ MJ Phillips. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
Capital1 had a last ditch effort turning a 23-17 deficit into a three-point game after Des Clemente-De Guzman’s hit, 23-20, but a service error from Leila Cruz sent Petro Gazz at match point. Heather Guino-o saved a point only for Ethan Arce to drill the game-winning attack.
“Today’s game is also a good game, isn’t it? Two days ago, Cignal versus Galeries. Cignal lost, so we were very worried. We had a meeting before the game. They are not perfect players, not a perfect team. You want to win, but the opponent team also wants to win,” said Petro Gazz coach Koji Tsuzurabara.
READ: PVL: Petro Gazz scores 9th straight win, demolishes Nxled
Petro Gazz fought back from a 16-18 deficit in the second set as Pablo and Van Sickle connived to reach the set point, 24-21. Capital1 cut it down to one after Pablo’s attack error, but Aiza Maizo-Pontillas ended the set for a commanding 2-0 lead.
In the first set, the Angels tallied seven kills blocks to draw first blood convincingly as they finished the game with nine.
MJ Phillips also stepped up with 12 points, highlighted by five blocks. Pontillas chipped in nine points and eight digs, while setter Djanel Cheng tossed 13 excellent sets.
Capital1 is relegated to the play-in, where the last two quarterfinal berths will be up for grabs.
The Solar Spikers are slated in Pool A of the play-in with the Cignal HD Spikers and the loser of the Akari-Farm Fresh quarterfinal game against the No.2 Angels.
Cruz led Capital1’s fight with 16 points, while Jorelle Singh had 10 points, seven receptions, and five digs.
