PETRO Gazz is back in the finals for the seventh time, denying Akari's reverse-sweep bid, 25-19, 25-17, 15-25, 22-25, 15-13, in the 2025 PVL Reinforced Conference knockout semifinals on Thursday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Grethcel Soltones’ try to knot the decider at 14-all sailed out, and an unsuccessful block-touch challenge cemented an anticlimactic finish.
It was one that sent the Angels back to the championship round, helped in large part by the Chargers' seven unforced errors in the fifth set, including the match-ender.
Brooke Van Sickle once again delivered a signature triple-double, churning out 23 points, 18 receptions, and 13 digs.
She had plenty of support as Lindsey Vander Weide gutted out a 16-point showing despite still nursing a right ankle sprain from the quarterfinals, while Myla Pablo added 14 points and nine receptions in the win.
Petro Gazz now get its shot to break a deadlock with Creamline and become the outright most successful PVL team in import-laced play.
And for only the second time, they will do so against a team other than the Cool Smashers. The last time they did so was back in the 2022 Reinforced Conference, when it swept Cignal for the crown.
"The first two sets were pretty easy. The girls were confident and we kind of lost our focus a little bit, but credit to Akari as they came out battling. They knew they had to win all the next three sets to win so we just dug deep," said Petro Gazz head coach Gary Van Sickle.
"A couple of the girls were really exhausted but they fought. It was tough. It came down to a couple of plays. It could have pretty much gone either way. Akari pushed us to the limit and we got a couple of breaks at the end."
Petro Gazz just has enough gas
The Angels came out blistering in the opening frame, at one point leading by as many as 11. That early cushion proved enough to withstand Akari’s late push, which trimmed the
gap to five in the homestretch.
Lindsey Vander Weide and Myla Pablo then slammed the door on the first set, before Brooke Van Sickle seized control in the second, where Petro Gazz outgunned their foes on attacks, 18-10.
Annie Mitchem came to life in the third set, though, and, with Ced Domingo holding firm in the middle, powered the Chargers to an 11-point cushion that extended its title bid for at least another frame.
While Mitchem committed four of Akari’s seven errors in the deciding set, her 28-point explosion was the very reason the Chargers clawed their way back from the brink after dropping the first two frames.
Domingo anchored the locals with 16 points, while Soltones chipped in 12 markers on top of 18 receptions and nine digs.
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