Brook Van Sickle during Petro Gazz Angels’ win over Chery Tiggo Crossovers within the PVL All-Filipino Conference. –PVL PHOTO
Petro Gazz discovered something vital on Tuesday night: the Angels don’t must solely depend on Brooke van Sickle to achieve success.
It’s a very important lesson to learn as early as this a part of the PVL All-Filipino Conference slated to run until April. That is the longest conference the league has ever hosted and it will do well for Petro Gazz to know that the remaining of the Angels are all the time able to step as much as the plate.
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However the lesson didn’t come easy. Petro Gazz needed to muster all of the strength it had and, even then, needed to depend on a sudden change in momentum to show back a formidable Chery Tiggo side, 20-25, 20-25, 25-23, 25-15, 15-7, late Tuesday at PhilSports Arena.
“I’m super happy with everyone. I’m pretty sure almost the entire team played, I feel like. And everybody brought great energy. It didn’t matter who was on the court,” Van Sickle said as she still finished with 10 points, seven coming from the fifth set, and 11 excellent digs despite playing off the bench in the primary 4 frames.
Minor knee procedure
“We did start a bit of rough, but we did come off [the Christmas] break. Not that it’s an excuse. But Chery is a superb team. I feel like [every time] we go [against] them, … [we go] five sets. So, I’m just really completely satisfied and happy with the team. We were capable of figure it out, undergo the rough patches, and work on it. So, I feel like we got higher today as a team. So, I’m really completely satisfied,” she added.
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Van Sickle admitted to having a minor procedure done on her left knee after the Angels’ final game of 2024, thus the precautionary measure by the team.
“Me and the coaching staff and management, we all the time have conversations day-after-day to update on how I feel … just had a bit of cleanup for my knee but I feel rather a lot higher now,” the Filipino American spiker said.
“To start with, I used to be a bit of bothered by it. But I feel really great now. Again, we all the time have constant communication. I’m completely satisfied with my teammates. I’m completely satisfied with their performance. I’m completely satisfied everyone got to play. It was a superb match,” she added.
And with Van Sickle’s limited minutes, everyone had a probability to assist the team and amongst those that rose to the challenge were veteran opposite hitter Aiza Maizo-Pontillas and the returning-to-form Myla Pablo, who punched in 18 points apiece.
Proving her price
Nicole Tiamzon also stood her ground as Joy Dacoron and Ranya Musa, who’s getting back from an injury, also kept their composure in the center.
Pablo has been repeatedly proving her price since coach Koji Tsuzurabara thrust her back into the rotation and is playing a significant part within the Angels’ current 6-1 (win-loss) campaign.
And the Angels’ standout used the marathon match as a platform to showcase what she still can offer.
“Coach Koji all the time reminds us what our work is contained in the court. I do know that Brooke is not going to be playing [for most of the match] yet,” Pablo said. “So I told Brooke and Jonah [Sabete] that we want to work together to get [the win].”
