PVL: Petro Gazz grants Brooke Van Sickle’s bday wish with Game 2 win
Brooke Van Sickle, right, and the Petro Gazz Angels celebrate during a win over ZUS Coffee in Game 2 of their PVL quarterfinals series.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
ANTIPOLO — Brooke Van Sickle’s birthday wish was for Petro Gazz to give its best effort in Game 2 of its PVL quarterfinals series against ZUS Coffee on Saturday.
Playing like a well-oiled machine, the Angels delivered, responding with a resounding sweep, 25-19, 25-13, 28-26, following a lethargic series-opening loss.
“You can’t come up flat because we’re at the point of the season right now where everyone wants it, everyone’s gunning for it. How we came out last game, it’s either you’re gonna be the hunter or you’re gonna be the hunted. For sure we were the deer last game, so we had to come out fighting and it’s gonna be close, it’s gonna be high-intensity, high-screaming, high-cheering, 100 percent effort from everyone,” said Van Sickle after dropping 17 points on her 27th birthday.
READ: PVL: Petro Gazz gets back at ZUS Coffee, forces decider
Brooke Van Sickle’s birthday wish. #PVL2025 @INQUIRERSports pic.twitter.com/suQwb7w1M1
— Lance Agcaoili (@LanceAgcaoilINQ) March 22, 2025
“As an athlete, this is where we wanna be, this is where we wanna play, high-strung matches. Super cheesy, diamonds are made under pressure. That’s how good teams in the PVL are, that’s how they’re able to handle pressure, be calm, be lethal, and accept the challenge. That’s what I’m challenging the team next game, just stay cool, calm, and collected,” she added.
Van Sickle was also inspired to play in front of her parents, Gary and Lisa, who helped her bounce back from a heartbreaking Game 1 loss.
“My parents have been with me my whole career. It’s awesome just to be able to have them in person and watch the game. It means a lot to me because they don’t come here very often because of their work schedule and everything,” she said.
“To be able to bounce back and still continue to play is really awesome, and it’s just I’m really happy because they take time to come out and watch me. I’m happy they’re gonna here for another game. They’re my number one supporters. I always have them, they coached me growing up. It’s really nice because after that hard Game 1, it’s really nice to be able to hug somebody.”
The reigning PVL MVP went to her parents and even took time to meet her supporters including her biggest fan, Justine Grace Fronda–a teacher from Zamboanga–after winning Game 2.
READ: PVL: Myla Pablo says Petro Gazz lacked aggressiveness in loss
Petro Gazz eyes a semifinal berth on Tuesday in their do-or-die Game 3 against ZUS Coffee.
Van Sickle’s goal in her 27th year is inspired by a self-help book, which was an eye-opener for her that made her realize that “the people that succeed the most are the people that can go through the most mundane, like boring tasks, but still give it their 100 percent effort.”
“I feel like that’s a challenge to me no matter how I feel, what day or whatever is going on, I want to be able to step in fully when I get into the court and really like try to continue to prove myself one percent better every day, not even just in sports, but in life,” Van Sickle said.
“I just want to enjoy life, learn how to make people around me better and happier and be able to be more level-headed at times.”
