ANTIPOLO — When Petro Gazz was left gobsmacked in a stunning Game One sweep loss to ZUS Coffee, Brooke Van Sickle knew just who to call for help.
The former PVL MVP had the luxury of her parents-slash-coaches Gary and Lisa Van Sickle, who made a rare trip to the Philippines to watch their now-27-year-old daughter and the rest of the Angels in their quarterfinals series.
Hours after the series-opening loss, Van Sickle vented her frustrations on how her game went wrong in what could’ve been a costly playoffs loss.
READ: Quick fire Petro Gazz forces KO match vs. ZUS Coffee
“Brooke’s been playing for so long. She doesn’t like to lose. She didn’t take the loss very well,” Brooke’s mother and Ilocos Sur native Lisa shared in a pre-game chat with SPIN.ph, five days before her own birthday.
“We let her vent, get it all out, and she kind of talks herself through it. We were just here ready to support her and listen to her, which helps her stay calm," she added.
Both of Brooke’s parents were former volleyball players who’d eventually be her coaches as she navigated her college career at the University of Oregon and the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
For her dad Gary, tactical pep talks with Brooke were no longer necessary. He’d know better than anyone that her daughter is armed with the physical and mental fortitude to get over the hump when the stakes are at their highest.
“She gets herself ready. There’s no pep talk. We just tell her to play her game and she gets herself ready to play. She’s ready and I think there’s no pressure. She’s been doing this since college,” the Van Sickle patriarch said.
With both her parents having the best seats in the house at the Ynares Center, Van Sickle erupted for a game-high 17 points and eight digs to keep the Angels’ title dream alive.
Longing for her parents’ support, for BVS to have her most important coaches in the flesh in her most important PVL game yet meant everything and more.
“They only come once a year, so I'm not really used to having (them around here). Normally, when we lose a game, I come home and if I try to call my parents, they're sleeping so I kind of like sit there and process (those losses) a lot,” BVS said.
“Typically, I don't go to bed until three in the morning, re-watch the game, and I'm one of those players that if there's a bad game that happens, I think of every single little thing that I messed up on, what I can do to be better, and what can I do to help my team.
From the trenches of a shock loss, BVS found a way to rise again through the two most important people who raised her to be the humble superstar she’s grown to be.
“It's really good to have my friends because after the game, when it doesn't go well, I'm at my lowest point. I have them,” Van Sickle said.
“It’s nice to have someone to help and just to be there for me and have support through good times and bad.”
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
