Petro Gazz snatched victory from the clutches of defeat, hacking out a 25-22, 21-25, 22-25, 26-24, 18-16 victory over erstwhile unbeaten Cignal HD to force a sudden death for the other finals berth in the 2022 Premier Volleyball League Open Conference, Sunday night at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
The Angels and the HD Spikers will have less than 24 hours to rest to prepare for the knockout match set at 6 PM on Monday back at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan.
Myla Pablo flashed vintage form to anchor the Angels' amazing climb from the brink twice, coming through with a hit to force a 24-all count in the fourth, and after an ace from Remy Palma, the former National U standout produced a block to force an extra set.
In a tense-filled decider where both teams traded points the majority of the way, the Angels took command at 10-8 but the HD Spikers rallied and took six of the next eight points to move at match point, 14-12.
But Aiza Pontillas and Palma delivered two clutch hits to extend the match and after another exchange of hits in a match that boiled down to a duel of nerves, Chie Saet scored on a 1-2 play to break a 16-all count and Pablo hammered another killer blow through two Cignal defenders as the Angels lived for another day to stay in the finals hunt.
"Ayun, i-press lang natin sila and kumbaga, mag e-error din 'yan, bibigay din 'yan, mawawalan din ng composure 'yan so kapit kapit lang kami," said Angels head coach Jerry Yee on what he told her players in the final stretch of the decider.
The thrilling escape more than made up for the Angels' failed bid in Game One, which they practically lost, 21-25, 23-25, 23-25, through endgame meltdown in all three sets.
Myla Pablo, who played sparingly in Petro Gazz's previous outings, dropped 18 points as a starter built on 16 attacks, a block, and an ace.
Maizo-Pontillas provided 14 points and eight receptions while Soltones also recorded 14 along with 18 excellent digs. Palma added 11 points.
Chie Saet dished 36 excellent sets and scored four points to power the Angels' offense. Meanwhile, Pineda and Cienne Cruz had 18 excellent digs and 13 excellent receptions, respectively.
es Molina's 19-point outing went down the drain as the HD Spikers failed to close the series. She also had 23 excellent digs and 15 excellent receptions to finish with a triple-double.
Gel Cayuna tossed 43 excellent sets along with four points in the loss. Daquis added 17 points while Doria and Araneta had 13 and 11, respectively.
