Petro Gazz delivered a statement win, dismantling the heavily favored Creamline side, 25-23, 25-22, 21-25, 25-16, in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference semifinals at the Ynares Center in Antipolo on Saturday night.
What was expected to be another display of Creamline’s signature resilience instead turned into a showcase of Petro Gazz’s composure and dominance. With the victory, the Angels joined the Akari Chargers atop the standings, bringing both teams to the brink of a historic finals appearance.
Projected to be a triumphant weekend for the PVL’s powerhouse sister teams, Creamline and Choco Mucho, the semifinals instead unraveled into an evening of reversals. Akari and Petro Gazz shocked the league in different fashions, turning the playoff picture upside down and leaving their rivals in an unfamiliar position – on the losing end.
For Petro Gazz, the win was particularly momentous. Swept by Creamline in the preliminaries and forced into a grueling sudden-death quarterfinal against ZUS Coffee, the Angels came into the Final Four battle-tested and ready.
They overcame an early deficit in the first set with a late surge, dominated the second with steady execution, and rebounded from a third-set slip with a fierce counterattack in the fourth, outclassing the defending champions with poise and confidence.
The result? A stunning four-set victory over the 10-time defending champions – a team renowned for thriving under pressure. The Cool Smashers, riding high after a commanding sweep of Chery Tiggo in the quarters, found themselves on the receiving end of a Petro Gazz masterclass in execution and composure.
Creamline ignited hopes of another comeback – a hallmark of its triumphant campaign – but Petro Gazz quickly regrouped, adjusting in time to seize control of Set 4. The Angels established an early lead and sustained their momentum to secure the victory.
Brooke Van Sickle, stifled late in the third set, ignited Petro Gazz’s explosive start in the fourth frame with back-to-back kills, propelling the Angels to an 8-3 lead by the first technical timeout.
That early surge provided the cushion needed to withstand Creamline’s comebacks. Though the Cool Smashers closed in at 8-10 following a Petro Gazz miscue off a Bea de Leon strong serve, the Angels responded with an even stronger counterattack – a decisive 6-2 run.
Ranya Musa’s clutch left-hand tip, Jonah Sabete’s fifth kill block and down-the-line hit, and a Van Sickle ace extended Petro Gazz’s lead to 16-10 by the second technical timeout.
MJ Phillips then delivered a resounding block on a Tots Carlos spike, further fueling the Angels’ momentum. With confidence soaring, the two-time Reinforced Conference champions dominated the remainder of the set, sealing the victory and the match.
Creamline mounted rallies, twice closing the gap to within four, the last at 15-19. However, the Angels remained unfazed, responding with a more decisive surge – four straight points, capped by a Van Sickle kill that ended another intense exchange.
They extended their streak to five as Phillips fired an ace. De Leon momentarily kept Creamline alive with a quick attack to save match point, but the former Ateneo stalwart sealed their fate with a costly service error.
“This win was incredibly crucial, as are all games in the semis. But we prepared hard and pushed ourselves to the limit. We drew strength from one another,” said Sabete in Filipino, who earned the Best Player of the Game award with 19 points.
In Set 3, Creamline edged Petro Gazz in attacking, 15-13, while capitalizing on the Angels' struggles, particularly from the service line. Creamline earned nine free points off Petro Gazz's errors while limiting its own unforced mistakes to just three.
With the semis operating under a single-round-robin format, two wins could be enough to book a finals berth. While the road remains challenging, Petro Gazz and Akari will look to build on their key victories as they switch opponents on Tuesday.
For now, the Angels celebrate a defining moment – toppling a dynasty and proving they are more than ready for a championship run.
Trailing for most of the first set, the Angels mounted a scoring run midway through, with Van Sickle capping the blitz with a powerful hit to level the score at 16.
After three more deadlocks, Petro Gazz found crucial contributions from unexpected sources – Musa delivered a quick attack, followed by Sabete’s pivotal block against Bernadeth Pons. That two-point cushion proved enough to secure the set, as the Cool Smashers – renowned for their late-set composure – could only narrow the gap to one, the last at 23-24, after a de Leon quick attack following two intense rallies.
Sensing the pressure, Petro Gazz coach Koji Tsuzurabara called a timeout to break Creamline's momentum, outlining their final offensive strategy. The Angels executed the plan to perfection – one solid pass set up Van Sickle for the clinching hit, sending Petro Gazz fans into celebration while leaving the defending champions and their supporters in disappointment.
Despite a slow start, Petro Gazz finished strong and outhit Creamline, 18-16, and showcased dominance in blocking, tallying three blocks while the Cool Smashers failed to register any.
Riding the momentum of their strong first-set finish, the Angels stormed to a commanding 6-1 lead in the next frame. Though they faltered midway, allowing the Cool Smashers to erase a 12-16 deficit with four straight points after the last technical timeout, Petro Gazz held firm. Myla Pablo and Aiza Pontillas provided steadying plays, while Van Sickle once again took over in the closing stretch.
The Fil-American hitter delivered three of the team's final five points, the last securing set point at 24-21. A thunderous Bernadeth Pons kill stalled the Angels, who, however, sealed the win in the ensuing play through Musa.
The middle blocker’s well-placed power tip, set up by Chie Saet’s one-handed assist, left the Cool Smashers scrambling and unable to keep the ball in play.
Sabete also made a crucial contribution in the closing moments, registering a timely block on Carlos, her third of the night.
Consistency was the key as the Angels clinched another set, outperforming the Cool Smashers in attacks (14-11) and blocks (4-2).
