Petro Gazz weathered a furious storm in the second set to topple Farm Fresh, 25-21, 27-25, 25-19 Thursday in the Premier Volleyball All-Filipino prelims at the Philsports Arena in Pasig Thursday.
Facing four match points in the second frame, including three in regulation play, the Angels showed their determination as Jonah Sabete and Brooke Van Sickle combined in the stretch to help deliver the hard-earned win.
Petro Gazz thus improved to 4-1, just behind unbeaten Creamline (4-0) with Cignal and Choco Mucho also in contention for the lead at press time.
Meanwhile, Farm Fresh slipped to 2-3, regretting missed opportunities, particularly in the pivotal second set where it had the upper hand, 24-21, on a Michelle Morente attack error.
Despite Farm Fresh’s inspired performance, Petro Gazz displayed resolved, roaring back from a big deficit to snatch the set victory. They rattled off three straight points, aided by a Caitlyn Viray service miscue, with Van Sickle’s smart off-speed hit from the back row and Remy Palma’s dump anchoring their fightback.
Alyssa Bertolano hammered in a kill to put the Foxies at set point anew but Sabete, foiled in her first attempt, scored on her next blast and the Angels took the next two points to steal the set, including one on a Chinnie Arroyo mishit and another Van Sickle backrow effort.
The Angels rode on the momentum of their come-from-behind win and took control of the third, scoring eight of the first 10 points to set the tone for the straight-set victory in one-hour and 35 minutes.
Although the Foxies mounted their comeback on several occasions, the last at 18-22, on a Viray kill, the Angels scored three of the last four points as Van Sickle took care of business with a kill and an ace for a 24-18 bubble.
Ypril Tapia stalled Petro Gazz with an off-the-block hit but yielded the point, the set and the match on a service error.
Van Sickle’s stellar play, including a variety of shots, contributed significantly to Petro Gazz’s success, earning her 26 points after scoring 23 points against PLDT and 24 points against Akari.
Sabete, though critical of her performance, still wound up with 11 points while Palma and Joy Dacoron added six and five points, respectively.
Despite the win, Petro Gazz coach Koji Tsuzurabara was far from satisfied while recognizing the Foxies’ gutsy showing.
“I appreciated the Farm Fresh team, it was a good game,” he said. “But it wasn’t (a good game) for us. There were a lot of us frustrated.”
“For me, not too good,” said Sabete of her effort. “Coach had too much trust in me but I had a slow start.”
Van Sickle also flashed her defensive prowess, matching Jellie Tempiatura’s nine excellent digs.
It was a tough loss for the young Foxies, who came into the match exuding confidence following a shock three-set victory over contender Chery Tiggo last weekend.
But Trisha Tubu slowed down with eight points after an 18-point explosion against the Crossovers. Rizza Cruz stepped up to fire 11 points, middle Aprylle Tagsip and Arroyo finished with six points apiece, Viray added five points, and Kate Santiago, Bertolano and Tapia contributed three points each.
