Petro Gazz are on the brink of its first-ever Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference championship, and their star player Grethcel Soltones is determined to make it happen. In Game One of the finals, the Angels faced off against defending champions Creamline in a tightly contested match that saw Petro Gazz rely on a late challenge to secure a hard-fought victory.
The match was a rollercoaster ride of emotions for the Angels, who took the first and third sets 25-22 and 25-23 respectively, but lost the second set 24-26. The fourth set was just as tight, with both teams trading points back and forth. With the score at 25-24 in favor of Petro Gazz, Creamline's Jia De Guzman and Ced Domingo attempted to block Soltones' attack. Angels head coach Oliver Almadro called for a mid-rally challenge, and it proved to be the turning point in the game.
De Guzman was flagged for a net violation, giving the point and the set to Petro Gazz, who won the match 3-1. It was a crucial victory for the Angels, who had lost all 14 of their previous meetings with Creamline dating back to 2019.
Soltones was the standout performer for Petro Gazz, scoring 14 points on 14 attacks and making 17 excellent digs. Despite her impressive performance, Soltones was not satisfied with her own performance and vowed to be more aggressive in crunch time to avoid relying on late challenges in the future.
"As a team, we're okay so far. But there's still something missing, especially for me. I felt like I choked a bit in the second set. So I'll work even harder. My personal goal is that when it's crucial, it should be mine," said Soltones.
Almadro echoed Soltones' sentiments, acknowledging that the team cannot afford to rely on challenges in the all-important Game Two.
The Angels are determined to leave nothing to chance in the next match and secure their first-ever PVL championship.
