AN eight-year PVL streak comes to an end for Creamline.
The defending champions were sent crashing by Petro Gazz, 25-23, 25-19, 16-25, 25-14, in the knockout quarterfinals of the 2025 PVL Reinforced Conference on Monday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Petro Gazz import Lindsey Vander Weide shook off an ankle injury, returning in the fourth set to help deliver the finishing touches to the win that ended Creamline’s 19-conference streak of Final Four appearances since both the league and the club began in 2017.
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In her brief return, Vander Weide chipped in six points, including two clutch aces that helped seal the victory.
“I knew the team could do it without me. I had complete faith in them. But as I said, if the girls need me, I’m ready to go in at any point,” Vander Weide said.
“Obviously, it wasn’t the best because I don’t feel amazing at this moment. But of course, for this team, when they needed me, I was ready to go.”
The Angels leaned on Myla Pablo, who stepped up off the bench during Vander Weide’s absence and finished with a conference-high 26 points built on 23 attacks, two blocks, and an ace.
Brooke Van Sickle delivered on her promise to bring her A-game as redemption for last year’s heartbreaking loss to Creamine, finishing with a triple-double of 19 points, 12 digs, and 10 receptions.
She powered a late three-point burst to close out a tight opening set before Pablo took charge in the second, scoring three of Petro Gazz’s last four set-clinching points.
The two teams traded massive runs in the last two frames, with the Cool Smashers mounting a 14–3 blitz from an 11–13 deficit to extend the match.
The same pattern unfolded in the fourth, but this time it was the Angels who unloaded a 13–4 closing tear to secure their 11th win in 39 all-time meetings with their longtime rivals.
For the Angels, the victory sends them to the semifinals in import-laced play for the first time since their title-winning 2022 campaign.
Fall from grace
A streak-busting loss to the Angels still came with a handful of silver linings for the now-dethroned champions.
Courtney Schwan closed out her Creamline stint with a steady 17-point outing built on nine digs. She had solid support from Pangs Panaga, who delivered one of her strongest offensive games of the conference with 14 points, highlighted by six kill blocks.
Tots Carlos added 13 markers, while team captain Alyssa Valdez chipped in six.
Bea De Leon, seeing action for the first and only time this conference after recovering from an undisclosed knee injury suffered in the preliminaries, contributed two points in her return.
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