THE PVL All-Filipino crown is within reach for Petro Gazz after a rousing Game 1 win in the best-of-three finals over Creamline, 25-17, 25-20, 18-25, 20-25, 15-10.
A familiar Cool Smashers comeback from two sets to none down did not have a winning finish this time around.
READ: Last time Petro Gazz led 1-0 in PVL Finals vs Creamline, this happened
The Angels had a full arsenal of scoring weapons from Brooke Van Sickle (24 points) to MJ Phillips (16 points), as well as Jonah Sabete (16 points) and Myla Pablo (12 points) to fend off a reverse-sweep bid and grab the series lead.
Not even a 16-point, 20-dig, 13-reception triple-double from reigning Reinforced Conference MVP Bernadeth Pons could save five-peat seeking Creamline from the jaws of defeat.
Its sister team Choco Mucho also suffered the same losing fate in the battle for third series opener, as Akari did what Creamline couldn’t — complete a reverse sweep.
The Chargers erased an 0-2 set deficit to storm past the Flying Titans, 24-26, 21-25, 25-15, 25-18, 15-11, to zero in on the bronze medal.
Akari’s top scorers this conference in Eli Soyud and Ivy Lacsina delivered when it mattered most with 24 and 20 points, respectively.
Meanwhile, Sisi Rondina’s 18 points and 14 digs behind Royse Tubino’s 19 markers fell flat once more, as the Flying Titans dropped their fourth straight playoff match.
Here are the key takeaways from the opening day of the PVL Finals and bronze medal series.
1) ALL-FILIPINO TITLE NOW PETRO GAZZ’ TO LOSE
It takes a herculean, near-perfect effort to beat the Cool Smashers twice, let alone in the playoffs.
Over the past few weeks, it took a full-strength Petro Gazz side to do just that in four sets in the single-round robin semifinals then in an instant five-set classic win in the finals opener.
And should Petro Gazz complete a hat-trick of playoff victories over Creamline, it will be rewarded with the missing crown jewel in its silverware collection — the All-Filipino championship.
With Van Sickle posting double-doubles left and right in the playoffs, Phillips becoming much more of an offensive middle blocker, and Pablo and Sabete flexing their veteran smarts to outplay the Cool Smashers, this championship might just be the Angels’ to lose at this point.
2) NO FINALS JITTERS WHATSOEVER FOR VAN SICKLE, ANGELS
While Van Sickle admitted feeling the nerves in her PVL Finals debut, it became more of a fuel than a distraction for the reigning conference MVP.
The numbers proved that.
BVS led the Petro Gazz offense in Game 1 and that has almost always been a given this conference.
Just as big as that was how the Fil-American winger also ruled the defensive department with a 40 percent digging efficiency.
For someone who’s shown such a strong two-way game in just her first taste of championship volleyball, pressure isn’t expected to sway BVS the wrong way for the remainder of this series.
3) CREAMLINE RUNS OUT OF GAS AGAIN
For a champion team that thrives under pressure, the Cool Smashers were unable to show that signature mettle back in Game 1.
A few player shuffles featuring the likes of Jema Galanza and Michele Gumabao brought Creamline back into contention in the third and fourth sets before eventually forcing a fifth-set tiebreak.
With all the fan-boosted energy and momentum on their side, Creamline was primed to complete the five-set comeback, but had an uncharacteristic meltdown in the endgame.
One would expect the 10-time champions to come out swinging for the win when the stakes are at their highest, but in the end, they were left in the dust by a 10-4 Petro Gazz blitz to start the fifth set.
From there, the Angels ran away with the win and left the Cool Smashers beaten and stomped.
4) DID CHOCO MUCHO PEAK TOO EARLY?
It was a show of force from the Flying Titans that started late in the preliminary round and might’ve just ended right before the semifinals.
What was supposed to be a momentum-boosting, league-best 10-game win streak ahead of the penultimate round turned into a dismal string of playoff performances.
Losing all three of their semis matches to Akari, Creamline, and Petro Gazz after being untouchable for over three months was rather unfortunate.
And dropping Game 1 of the battle for third from two sets to none up was the icing on the cake, but in a bad way.
All hope is not lost, however, as a Game 2 win in three or four sets plus a title-clinching win for Petro Gazz over Creamline will salvage the bronze for the Flying Ttians.
5) AKARI A POWERHOUSE IN THE MAKING
The Chargers have the pieces to be a legitimate title contender, as evidenced by their runner-up finish in the 2024 Reinforced Conference.
Now, when not a lot of people expected them to reach the semis, Akari finds itself one win away from back-to-back podium finishes.
In an under-the-radar kind of campaign, Akari leaned on the likes of Soyud and Lacsina to match the firepower brought by the league’s traditional powerhouse teams.
A silver and possibly a bronze next, is an elusive gold soon to come?
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