WHILE many expected a sweep, Petro Gazz left a statement.
The Angels came a set away from taking down the ‘Great Wall of China’ in Beijing BAIC Motor in a 29-31, 25-19, 25-20, 20-25, 10-15 five-set loss in the 2025 AVC Women’s Champions League knockout quarterfinals.
For reigning two-time PVL MVP Brooke Van Sickle, who stands at roughly 5-foot-6, having to look up at a towering Chinese side with an average height of 6-foot-1 made it feel like she had to throw shots at an almost-impenetrable human wall that produced 18 total kill blocks.
READ PH teams wiped out as Petro Gazz runs out of gas vs BAIC Motor
Her 17-point, 22-dig, seven-reception output was telling of her move to put in a much stronger defensive performance just as she always has on offense.
“Being not so tall, I kind of assumed there was a Great Wall of China today. I figured, okay, I'll just try my best with hitting, just stay aggressive,” Van Sickle said. “Then for defense, go all out and try my best to be able to keep the ball in place so that Gia [Day] can hit, so we can get our big guns going.
“It was a lot of grit and it felt like that from everyone. I felt like everyone was getting tips, digging balls. It would be a lot of just defense the whole time and I thought, defensive-wise, this was probably one of our better games.”
For 5-foot-5 veteran spiker Jonah Sabete, who dished out 15 markers in the loss, she knew way before the Asian tilt that she’d have to address the elephant in the room at some point in the competition — being undersized vis-a-vis the rest of their Asian opposition.
Instead of her usual hard-hitting exploits, Sabete opted to play it smart rather than play it hard in an attempt to break through the ‘Great Wall.’
“Nu’ng nakita ko pa lang sila sa lobby, [sabi ko] ‘Papaano lulusot palo ko dito?’ At least, nakulam, nakalusot ‘yung mga palo,” the 31-year-old Negrense ace said.
“Coach Koji told me na hindi siya uubra na hard ball or babaon. kailangan talaga, pa-check ball or ma-out kasi bihira talaga na makapasok ‘yung normal na palo at sa mga Pinoy din talaga.
“First set pa lang, seven blocks na sila sa’min, kaya kung ano sinabi ni coach na habaan, hinabaan ko na lang [yung mga palo].”
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