By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Petro Gazz Angels quickly moved past a forgettable first set and scored an emphatic reverse sweep to frustrate the PLDT High-Speed Hitters, 12-25, 25-14, 25-22, 25-20, in the ongoing Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference on December 10, 2024, at the Philsports Arena.
With the come-from-behind victory, Petro Gazz just extended its PVL winning streak to three and improved to a win-loss record of 4-1.
Hounded by several defensive miscues and failed offensive executions, the High-Speed Hitters entered the second set with boosting confidence after barely breaking a sweat en route to a lopsided opening frame.
Little did PLDT know that the Angels would strike back immediately, kicked off by their better defensive floor coverage that prevented the High-Speed Hitters from scoring any freebie points.
Petro Gazz then amped their offense after establishing their middle blocking and digs, led by the duo of Brooke Van Sickle and Myla Pablo who took turns providing the much-needed markers for the Angels.
From a disappointing first set, Petro Gazz turned the tables around after the second and gave the High-Speed Hitters a dose of their own medicine.
Veteran setter Djanel Cheng was also crucial to Petro Gazz’s comeback rally after orchestrating the Angels’ attack to perfection as she ended up with 18 excellent sets.
Cheng was vital to Van Sickle and Pablo’s resurgence midway through the second and helped them bag consecutive easy spikes off well-placed cross-court deliveries.
With Petro Gazz already getting their full groove back, the High-Speed Hitters could only watch them play a two-way efficient game and dominated the final three sets in astounding fashion.
Van Sickle once again top-scored for the Angels after tallying 21 points built from 18 successful attacks, 12 excellent digs, and eight excellent receptions.
Meanwhile, the veteran Pablo continued her consistent contribution for Petro Gazz and logged 19 markers derived from 17 successful attacks.
On the other hand, Savannah Davison was a one-man wrecking truck for PLDT after leading all scorers with 28 points, but the star outside hitter needed more help from her teammates who went cold in the last three sets.
Petro Gazz will aim to extend their PVL winning streak to four on December 14, 2024, against the Cignal HD Spikers while the High-Speed Hitters look to re-enter the winning column against the Akari Chargers on January 18, 2025.
