Petro Gazz surged back into quarterfinals contention in the Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference, overcoming Creamline in a nail-biting five-set match, 25-23, 25-19, 20-25, 23-25, 15-12, at the Philsports Arena on Tuesday night.
In a fifth set marked by momentum swings, three lead changes, and seven deadlocks, the Angels narrowly avoided a devastating loss, bolstered by the late-game heroics of Wilma Salas and Brooke Van Sickle, along with the tenacious efforts of Petro Gazz’s local players.
After dominating the first two sets, Petro Gazz looked poised for an easy victory, only to face a fierce comeback from Creamline. But the Angels held their ground in the deciding set, securing a much-needed win that kept their quarterfinal hopes alive.
The victory kept Petro Gazz at seventh in the standings with a 3-3 record, fueled by back-to-back wins, including a commanding three-set sweep of the Choco Mucho Flying Titans at the close of the first-round pool eliminations last Tuesday.
Salas was the star of the match, delivering a staggering 34 points, including three consecutive points to seal the victory over the Cool Smashers. Her crucial sideout at 11-12, followed by a powerful hit against Bernadeth Pons and a decisive spike to counter Erica Staunton’s assault, proved too much for Creamline to overcome.
“I’m so happy that we won this game. It’s a difficult game because Creamline is a very good team,” said Salas. “Every time I say if you’re training good, you do good play. I think this is the point every day with the coaches and the girls for motivation to move up.”
The two-hour, 32-minute victory mirrored the Flying Titans' dramatic escape against the Chery Tiggo Crossovers earlier, where they also blew a 2-0 set lead but won, 15-12, in the final set.
“I appreciate Creamline. It was a good game. Today my team, everyone, all 14 players did their best performance,” said Petro Gazz coach Koji Tsuzurabara.
Creamline, like Chery Tiggo, now finds itself stalled in its quest for a quarterfinals berth, dropping to a tie for fifth place with the Crossovers and Capital1 Solar Spikers.
Petro Gazz capitalized on the momentum from its recent victory over Choco Mucho, dominantly taking the first two sets. However, Creamline mounted a fierce comeback, led by Staunton, Pons, and Michele Gumabao, forcing a grueling fifth set.
The final set featured seven standoffs before Van Sickle scored her 23rd point, playmaker Chie Saet delivered a fortuitous ace, and Aiza Pontillas blasted a left-handed shot that gave the Angels a crucial three-point lead, 12-9.
Despite Creamline’s championship-caliber composure, which saw the Cool Smashers close the gap with two consecutive points, Van Sickle struck back with a crucial off-the-block hit against Gumabao. Although a successful challenge by the Cool Smashers kept the pressure on, Salas took command in the clutch, unleashing an unstoppable barrage that sealed the win for Petro Gazz.
Van Sickle provided strong support to Salas, contributing 24 points, while Aiza Pontillas added eight markers. Ethan Arce and Remy Palma chipped in with five points each, showcasing a balanced offensive effort from the Angels.
“It’s huge for the team, a big confidence boost,” said Van Sickle of their victory. "To be able to secure this win is huge for us because of how our last pool play went. Creamline’s a very good team and we knew coming in that they’re gonna push us no matter what, they don’t give up.“
She added: It’s just like a dogfight with them and it’s so exhausting but they’re all good players and I’m really proud of our team stepping up especially even our rookie at the end coming in when it was really close and being able to put two tough serves it was amazing. Just the level of play is much better in the gym and everything. We’re still taking it day by day but hey, good luck to Wilma, in Wilma we trust.”
Petro Gazz outclassed Creamline in attacking, recording 76 attack points compared to the latter’s 68.
Salas and Van Sickle were equally impressive on defense, with Salas tallying 17 excellent digs and Van Sickle recording 18 excellent receptions, highlighting their all-around prowess. Saet was instrumental in orchestrating the offense, delivering 18 excellent sets.
Erica Staunton racked up 30 points for Creamline, taking control of the third and fourth sets. Bernadeth Pons and Michele Gumabao provided solid support with 17 and 13 points, respectively, while Bea de Leon added eight markers.
Kyle Negrito played a crucial role in keeping Creamline’s offense fluid, producing 27 excellent sets.
