By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Petro Gazz Angels increased their chances of semifinal contention in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference after sweeping the powerhouse F2 Logistics Cargo Movers, 25-23, 25-13, 25-23, last March 2, 2023, held at the PhilSports Arena.
Seeking to bounce back from a heartbreaking five-set loss against the PLDT High-Speed Hitters during their last outing, the Angels pulled off one of their best performances in the All-Filipino Conference that helped improve their win-loss record to 3-2.
Petro Gazz averted a shaky start in the opening set after going down early, 16-20, after a Myla Pablo cross-court spike kill.
Just when the Cargo Movers thought they could sustain their firepower, Petro Gazz went on a roll in the most crucial stretch of the first set and snowballed their way to a 6-1 scoring blitz to retake the lead, 22-21.
Veteran outside hitter Aiza Maizo-Pontillas then sent in a thundering spike against the defense of Ivy Lacsina and Pablo to double Petro Gazz’s lead at 23-21.
Needing someone to break the Cargo Movers’ slump, Kim Kianna Dy finally went over Petro Gazz’s middle blockers to inch closer, 23-22, but the women in red scored two-straight points to take a 1-0 lead and enter the last two sets with momentum on their side.
Petro Gazz continued its onslaught in the following set as its balanced attack proved to be too much against the struggling Cargo Movers team that barely connected on a successful hit despite tons of executions from setter Kim Fajardo.
F2 Logistics attempted to claw their way back into the game after an explosive start in the third set courtesy of Dy’s efficient hits but the Angels replicated its come-from-behind effort in the first set to complete the masterful sweep.
MJ Phillips led the Angels with 13 points built from nine successful attacks alongside two service aces and two blocks backstopped by Jonah Sabete who tallied the same amount of points.
“I’m proud of the team. I thank the team for doing it. I just said they are capable of doing it and they believed in themselves, so they got it. I’m happy and I’m proud of these Angels,” said Petro Gazz head coach Oliver Almadro.
Meanwhile, the Cargo Movers got 14 points from Dy but her teammates struggled in the offensive department, failing to reach the double-digit mark in the three-set affair.
Petro Gazz will look to maintain its surge as they take on the Army-Black Mamba today while the Cargo Movers hopes to get back on track on March 7, 2023, against the Choco Mucho Flying Titans.
