After a humbling shutout loss in Game One, Petro Gazz roared back with a resounding 25-19, 25-13, 28-26 victory over ZUS Coffee, forcing a sudden-death battle for a semifinal berth in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference at the Ynares Center in Antipolo on Saturday.
Riding the momentum of their flawless second-set performance, the Angels stormed through the first two sets with relentless attacks and solid net defense. However, the determined Thunderbelles refused to bow out easily, turning the third set into a gripping battle. Fueled by an electrified crowd rallying behind the underdogs, ZUS Coffee clawed back from a 19-23 deficit, unleashing a determined 4-0 run to tie the set.
Despite saving one match point, the Thunderbelles faltered at 25-24 following a crucial positional error by Aiza Pontillas. But the veteran outside hitter quickly redeemed herself, scoring on a well-placed drop shot to keep Petro Gazz in step.
Jonah Sabete, making her much-awaited return after a long absence due to injury, then hammered a decisive kill past Thea Gagate and another defender, restoring match point for the Angels. Yet, ZUS Coffee refused to bow out easily, as Jovelyn Gonzaga answered with a stunning crosscourt hit.
However, Brooke Van Sickle, celebrating her 27th birthday in style, fired a blistering attack that shook the Thunderbelles' defense. In the ensuing sequence, a failed reception off Van Sickle’s serve led to a costly reaching over the net violation, sealing the Angels' victory in just one hour and 19 minutes of high-powered action.
“We got a little too eager,” said MJ Phillips, reflecting on Petro Gazz's late-game stumbles. “We just wanted to end the set quickly. But we kept reminding each other to stay calm and focus on one point at a time. That helped us lock in and finish strong.”
Phillips, who bagged Best Player of the Game honors, delivered 11 points – most of them quick attacks that set the tone for Petro Gazz’s dominant performance. Van Sickle led the charge with 17 points and eight excellent digs, while Myla Pablo and Sabete matched Phillips’ output, proving to be instrumental in their team's Game 2 resurgence.
In stark contrast to Game One, where ZUS Coffee had five players scoring in double figures, only Chinnie Arroyo managed to break the 10-point mark this time. Chai Troncoso, who led the Thunderbelles with 14 points in their previous win, struggled with just eight markers, the same output as Gagate.
Gonzaga and Michelle Gamit, who played key roles in their Game One upset, finished with only seven and three points, respectively.
Petro Gazz, a two-time Reinforced Conference champion, dominated the attacking battle, outscoring ZUS Coffee 47-37, while also asserting its presence at the net with seven blocks to its rival’s two.
With the series now tied, all eyes turn to the decisive Game 3 on Tuesday at Philsports Arena, where both teams will leave it all on the court for a coveted semis spot.
In a duel of spurts and strategic adjustments, the Angels shattered the Thunderbelles' momentum from their surprising three-set triumph in Game One, responding with a resounding statement in the opening set of Game Two.
Setter Chie Saet orchestrated the offense masterfully, dishing out 18 excellent sets – outshining her counterpart, Cloanne Mondonedo, who tallied 15. Saet kept the Angels' attack fluid, effectively involving hitters from the wings while maximizing the middle, where Phillips capitalized with precision.
After squandering significant leads due to erratic and tentative play, which allowed ZUS Coffee to close the gap at 18-19, the Angels unleashed a decisive 6-1 finishing kick to secure the set by five points.
With her wing spikers struggling to deliver, veteran playmaker Chie Saet shifted her offensive strategy to the middle, feeding Phillips for a quick hit that ignited a crucial scoring run. The Thunderbelles failed to counter, and their bid to keep the game close unraveled further as they committed three costly attack errors in their haste. Petro Gazz capitalized on these miscues, sealing the set with a powerful finishing blow from Van Sickle.
What began as a back-and-forth exchange between veterans and rising stars quickly turned into an Angels-dominated affair. A blistering 7-0 surge – fueled by a Pablo power tip and a Phillips block against Arroyo’s off-speed hit – propelled Petro Gazz to a commanding 15-8 lead.
Yet, true to their resilient nature, the Thunderbelles clawed back behind Gagate and Arroyo, aided once again by a string of Petro Gazz errors, including service miscues and errant wing attacks. Their persistence brought them within striking distance at 18-19.
But the Angels refused to falter. Saet, unwilling to let her team be outplayed again, recalibrated her approach, reactivating the middle. Phillips delivered once more, swinging the momentum back in favor of Petro Gazz. Under mounting pressure, the Thunderbelles crumbled, committing three crucial errors in the closing stretch – sealing their fate and handing the Angels a confidence-boosting set win.
The Angels were even more relentless in Set 2, playing like a well-oiled machine as they stormed to another 11-6 lead, highlighted by a rare wing attack from Phillips. What followed was a series of Petro Gazz hits that left the Thunderbelles struggling for answers, much to the disappointment of ZUS Coffee coach Jerry Yee.
“You have no patience, that's why you're frustrated. You just want to win, and you think that's it? You believe too much in what you hear from the outside," quipped Yee in Filipino, playfully challenging his players as he referred to their stunning shutout victory in the best-of-three series opener.
However, no amount of motivation could ignite a Thunderbelles comeback, as the Angels dominated the entire set with their airtight offense and defense. The Angels were so precise that they finished the set without committing a single error while capitalizing on five free points from the Thunderbelles.
More than that, Petro Gazz asserted its dominance at the net, recording five kill blocks compared to ZUS Coffee’s single block. The Angels also delivered two service aces while conceding none, putting themselves one set away from payback and a decisive winner-take-all match, where they were poised as the clear favorites.
Phillips punctuated the Angels’ commanding run with quick attacks – so swift that before the Thunderbelles could even set up their defense, the ball had already landed in an open spot.
