With PVL Finals spot within reach, Petro Gazz vows to work harder

MANILA, Philippines — Brooke Van Sickle and MJ Phillips won’t let their guards down even after kicking off Petro Gazz’s semifinals campaign on a high note as they face the previous finalists Creamline and Choco Mucho on their road to the 2024 PVL All-Filipino Conference finals.

Van Sickle and Phillips formed a potent trio with Aiza Maizo-Pontillas to overcome a first-set loss and take down Chery Tiggo, 20-25, 25-21, 25-15, 25-16, in their first semis game on Tuesday evening at Philsports Arena.

Needing to beat defending champion Creamline on Thursday paired with Choco Mucho’s victory to reach the finals, Van Sickle vows not to stop grinding for the Angels, who are raring to return to the biggest stage after missing the semis in last year’s second All-Filipino.

SCHEDULE: PVL All-Filipino Conference semifinals 2024

“These teams are very scrappy, they’re very good at defense, and they’re gonna put up a fight and I feel like I made a decent amount of errors [tonight]. It is what it is,” said the Filipino-American spiker, who had 21 points, 12 digs, and eight excellent receptions against Chery Tiggo.

“Coming to the next game, just trying to stay aggressive and I feel like every player that steps on the court, everyone wants it, everyone wants to win, everyone’s aggressive, like I need to match that and continue to put give full effort and a hundred percent swing every single time. That is the game plan. Just hit the ball hard.”

Van Sickle, who has been sensational in her first PVL tournament, admitted that any game in the semis is going to be “very tough” but they have to focus on their side to overcome the challenges.

READ: PVL: Petro Gazz subdues Chery Tiggo to gain early lead in semis

“We just have to make sure that we continue to focus on our side and take care of our business. When we all come together and very collectively just like ‘okay, this is what we’re gonna do’ and continue to push, I think this team can do great things. We just need to stay focused,” she said.

Phillips, who played her second PVL game after a stint in South Korea, agreed with her new teammate that they shouldn’t rest on their laurels.

“We’re just very aware of the situation about like what’s going on with the semis and each team is just always gonna try to push us against the wall so our mentality is just always be aggressive no matter what and not let them score the points first,” said Phillips, who backstopped Van Sickle and Aiza Maizo-Pontillas with 16 points.

“This [win] was good for us, I think it will bring our confidence even more for the next game. We’re just gonna keep communicating, keep grinding it out, and hopefully, we’ll get the win on Thursday.”

READ: MJ Phillips return comes at best time for Petro Gazz Angels

Phillips may have missed the majority of the elimination round but she is grateful to still have a connection with the Angels despite having new teammates and coach Koji Tsuzurabara.

“It’s difficult but I’m just so thankful for my coaches and teammates who are very patient with me. I’m honestly just taking it day by day and hopefully reap the benefits of it,” said the PVL Best Middle Blocker.

“I was here before and I just feel like I’ve connected with some of the veterans on the team and I think that trust is still carrying on until now. Still a lot of improvements that need to be done so hopefully, we can find that connection right away and continue our wins.”

With Van Sickle teaming up with Phillips, Petro Gazz is eyeing its first-ever All-Filipino Conference championship as it settled for three runner-up finishes in the tournament while winning the last two Reinforced Conferences.