By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Petro Gazz Angels saved their best for last and put on a tremendous display of volleyball to dethrone the Creamline Cool Smashers, 25-21, 25-16, 23-25, 25-19, during the do-or-die Game 3 of the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference grand finals on April 12, 2025, at the Philsports Arena.
With the absolute cinema, Petro Gazz just made history after becoming the first franchise to defeat the Cool Smashers in an All-Filipino Conference championship series in the past five PVL seasons.
Despite the Creamline-heavy fan base present at the Philsports Arena, the Angels only cared about one thing: Winning the golden trophy.
It was terrific how Petro Gazz bounced back after that demoralizing Game 2 defeat when they came so close to sweeping the Cool Smashers.
To set the tone, Petro Gazz focused on their signature defensive game to neutralize the high-octane Creamline offensive barrage.
Since Game 1, that became Petro Gazz’s chief tactician Koji Tsuzurabara’s ultimate game plan. Tighten your screws in deflecting their spikes, and the offense will just fall into place.
MJ Phillips steered Petro Gazz to their desirable start in Game 3 as her length bothered Jema Galanza and Bernadeth Pons’ cross-court attacks. With enough knowledge and experience with dealing Creamline’s offensive patterns, the seasoned two-way player stepped up when the Angels needed her the most.
Aside from her defensive prowess, Phillips also had an explosive scoring start as her crucial tips off scrambles resulted in garbage sequences that turned into gold.
After Phillips’ personal run, Brooke Van Sickle picked up where she left off and took care of business in the crucial stretch of the opener that helped Petro Gazz bag the first set.
Although the Cool Smashers deployed adjustments in the second set, including several personnel rotation tweaks, Petro Gazz just remained laser-focused and rode on their momentum to move a set away from capturing the title.
The Angels were again so close after holding a slim 17-13 cushion in the third, but Creamline’s never-say-die attitude once again emerged in the most perfect time led by Galanza’s resurgence.
From a four-point deficit, Galanza’s clutch conversions helped the Cool Smashers seal the third with a momentum-boosting 10-5 run to survive Game 3.
During the nip-and-tuck fourth set, both teams never backed down and figured in a heated exchange which resulted in an 18-all deadlock.
Answering the call for Petro Gazz to deliver the much-needed points was the duo of Aiza Maizo-Pontillas and Van Sickle, who sparked the Angels’ 4-0 run to establish a 22-18 lead. Jonah Sabete then sealed the deal for the Angels after she pummeled the set from the left side of the court.
Van Sickle was exceptional during Game 3 and top-scored Petro Gazz with 21 points, 18 excellent receptions, and nine excellent digs.
Phillips, who started hot, capped off their title-clinching victory with 15 markers and four blocks. She was named the Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP).
“If I say a thing, I will cry. Every day, I scold my players but they did their best performance today. I appreciate them, my coaching staff and the management,” said Petro Gazz head coach Tsuzurabara after winning this year’s PVL AFC title.
