Outgunned, out-blocked – and dethroned.
Creamline may have owned the Finals stage in recent years, but on Saturday night, Petro Gazz stormed in and showed what champions are made of – heart, faith and a full tank of fight.
Nobody saw it coming – except the Angels and the faithful few who never stopped believing.
Jonah Sabete, face buried in her hands, delivered the final blow – a decisive hit that Creamline failed to defend. It wasn’t just a winning point – it was the culmination of an extraordinary journey for the Angels, who defied odds, pressure and a powerhouse opponent to etch their names in Premier Volleyball League history.
With a 25-21, 25-16, 23-25, 25-19 masterclass, the Angels dethroned the formidable Cool Smashers in a pulsating two-hour Game 3 showdown to capture their first-ever All-Filipino Conference championship before a roaring crowd of over 10,000 at the Philsports Arena.
As white confetti fluttered from the rafters, tears poured from the Petro Gazz camp – tears of triumph, of vindication, of a team that never stopped believing.
The Angels overcame a sluggish start in the opening set to rally hard then dominated the second. Though they faltered late in the third – squandering a 17-13 lead and yielding to Creamline’s never-say-die DNA – Set 4 became a stage for their unrelenting heart and character.
Down 10-13, they didn’t fold. Instead, they responded like champions in waiting. They fought. They clawed back. They became the team that Creamline usually is – composed, fierce, unyielding in the face of adversity.
Brooke Van Sickle once again led the charge, with support from MJ Phillips, and Joy Dacoron and Aiza Pontillas –two bench players trusted by coach Koji Tsuzurabara in the most crucial moments. Dacoron broke an 18-all count with a quick strike. Van Sickle fired a clutch hit, and Pontillas followed up in a nerve-wracking rally that pushed the lead.
Creamline, with all its pedigree and poise, simply couldn’t respond.
Van Sickle, locked in and on fire, unleashed another point to build a 22-18 cushion. The Angels could taste history from the sidelines.
Though a service error from Chie Saet briefly rattled nerves, Dacoron responded with a quick kill off an out-of-system play. Then, Van Sickle aced Jema Galanza, and finally, Sabete soared for the spike that sealed Petro Gazz’s coronation after the Angels stopped a Tots Carlos attempt in a fitting conclusion.
Amid the chaos, Tsuzurabara quietly walked to the sideline, his unconventional but effective style having steered his team to glory. He was met by team captain Remy Palma, and the two shared a long, emotional embrace – two leaders who kept believing when it seemed impossible.
Van Sickle captured the moment perfectly.
“The mindset was to keep pushing. You can’t let up against Creamline – they’re a dynasty. They don’t stop. But we stayed calm, stayed together and gave it everything. I’m so proud of this team.”
Phillips echoed the emotion.
“I’m speechless. We’ve been through so much. But we fought hard when it mattered most. We showed resilience, grit and heart. I’m just so happy and proud of this group.”
But this wasn’t just a match. It was a journey of defiance. Petro Gazz had fought its way back from the brink all tournament long – rallying from a set down in the quarters to oust the ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles, dismantling the Akari Chargers and Choco Mucho Flying Titans in the semis, and then shocking Creamline in in five Game 1 of the finals before heartbreakingly yielding Game 2 in another five-set duel.
When Creamline forced Game 3 and opened it with a strong start, history, momentum and a huge crowd inside the overfilled arena all pointed to one conclusion: a Cool Smashers coronation. Even fans turned away at the gates had likely predicted a sweep.
But volleyball’s most coveted titles aren’t claimed in a single third-set rally – and no dynasty is safe from a team that truly believes.
Petro Gazz believed.
The Angels believed when others didn’t. They believed even after blowing leads. They believed when the Cool Smashers had them on the ropes.
And in the end, belief became their greatest weapon.
Van Sickle capped her heroic outing with an all-around performance worthy of another MVP nod – tallying 21 points, nine excellent digs and 18 receptions. Her relentless energy set the tone, but she wasn’t alone.
Sabete, pushing through cramps, delivered 16 hard-earned points in a gritty effort, while Phillips added 15 markers, including four emphatic kill blocks that stopped Creamline in their tracks.
Dacoron and Pontillas contributed seven points apiece, their clutch presence more than compensating for Myla Pablo’s uncharacteristic scoreless performance.
Petro Gazz outgunned the Cool Smashers in key departments – out-hitting them 53-51, out-blocking them 12-4, and capitalizing on Creamline’s errors for 26 free points, a crucial seven-point swing in a tightly contested duel.
Both teams had seven service aces, but the Angels made the most of every opportunity.
For Creamline, Bernadeth Pons led the charge with 17 points, while Jema Galanza, Pangs Panaga, and Lorie Bernardo chipped in 15, 11, and eight markers, respectively. However, Tots Carlos had a rare off night, managing only four points and committing a couple of errors early in the fourth set – momentum-killers that Petro Gazz seized on.
In the setter duel, Saet and Kyle Negrito matched each other with 22 excellent sets apiece, underscoring how tightly contested and tactical the match was from start to finish.
But the Angels didn’t just win a title. They earned it, every step of the way, rising above the fiercest test in local volleyball.
And it wasn’t just a win – it was a declaration. The Angels didn’t just dethrone a champion; they rewrote the script of inevitability. They soared when the pressure peaked, when the odds leaned the other way, when everything screamed “not this time.”
And yet, it was their time.
