FOR a moment, it felt like a déjà vu for Lindsey Vander Weide.
Back in her freshman year at the University of Oregon, the Petro Gazz import sprained her ankle in the first set of their match. She limped off, got taped up, returned in the fourth and helped her team close out the win.
On a quarterfinals match against Creamline, the script unfolded almost exactly the same.
READ: Petro Gazz ends Creamline streak of 19 straight semis appearances
Barely into the first set of the game, Vander Weide landed awkwardly and felt the familiar sting struck her ankle. She was wheelchaired back to the locker room, emotions overwhelming her before the pain even settled in.
“I was really upset. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to come back,” she told the SPIN.ph.
“I was crying more out of the fact that I was upset than the pain.”
As she watched from the back, Myla Pablo stepped in and kept Petro Gazz afloat.
Yet the swirl of fear and frustration pulled LVW back to a memory she never expected to relive.
“Literally the exact same situation happened my freshman year of college,” she shared.
“I twisted this exact ankle, they taped me up, and I came back in the fourth set. So, literally the same thing.”
This time, the stakes were even higher. A semifinal berth was on the line and a loss meant the end.
While the medical staff checked her ankle to confirm it wasn’t strained or broken, she held on to a single hope.
“If I could put any weight on it, I could play if they needed me to.”
When Creamline stormed back to steal the third set, her team needed her.
And just like that night years ago in U.S, Vander Weide returned with ankle taped and emotion turned into fuel.
The 6-foot-3 outside spiker stepped back onto the court in the fourth set and instantly shifted Petro Gazz’s rhythm, becoming the X-factor that sealed their place in the semifinals.
She finished the game with six points built on four attacks and two aces - all in the fourth set.
Now, Vander Weide’s story feels like a full-circle moment. With the Angels hitting its stride, she has a real chance to replicate her entire 2022 run where she captured the Reinforced Conference title, the Best Import award, and Finals MVP.
“I’m so confident in our team right now. Every time we step on the court, we get more cohesive,” she said.
“We’re locked in, and I really have a lot of faith in this group.”
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.
