PVL semifinals: Petro Gazz stuns Creamline

Petro Gazz’s Brooke Van Sickle (10) and Jonah Sabete team up in a statement win over Creamline in the PVL semifinals.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

ANTIPOLO CITY—Petro Gazz rolled out a complicated puzzle that Creamline found nearly impossible to solve on Saturday night, 25-23, 25-22, 21-25, 25-16, to gain headway in the PVL All-Filipino Conference semifinals.

Brooke Van Sickle and Jonah Sabete had a field day pummeling the Cool Smashers’ side of the floor as the Angels stayed in control by imposing themselves throughout.

“All the games are crucial. We cannot be confident, not just against Creamline, but against all the teams here in the semifinals,” said Sabete in Filipino after firing 19 points built around 14 attacks and five kill blocks.

READ: PVL semifinals preview: Creamline’s drive for five faces familiar foes

Petro Gazz coach Koji Tsuzurabara, Jonah Sabete, and Ranya Musa after overwhelming Creamline. #PVL2025 @INQUIRERSports pic.twitter.com/CgCXdbNaCD

— Lance Agcaoili (@LanceAgcaoilINQ) March 29, 2025

Van Sickle likewise bludgeoned the defending champions with various ammunition and wound up with 26 points along with four aces and a block for the Angels, who exacted revenge after a stinging straight-set defeat opposite their nemesis in the elimination round.

“We always have to remind ourselves that we must counter every Creamline point,” said Sabete.

They actually did more than just engage the Cool Smashers in an offensive exchange.

The Angels were fabulously careful not to drop the ball every time the opposing squad unleashed a counterattack.

Setter Chie Saet was visibly the court general of the Angels on the floor that had them escaping with a slim margin in the first set.

READ: PVL: Brooke Van Sickle, Petro Gazz toughened by stunning loss

With the game knotted at 22, Saet fed Myla Pablo for a crushing blow to the back row and provided middle blocker MJ Phillips the weapon for a down-the-line kill before Van Sickle’s off-the-block wallop rewarded them the set.

That set win was no fluke as the Angels immediately seized control in the next only to allow the Cool Smashers to equalize the count from as many as five points down.

But Jonah Sabete had been stellar at the net, furnishing three kill blocks and a harsh cross that put the Angels a point away from snatching Set 2. Ranya Musa sealed the deal by targeting the end line that saw Alyssa Valdez give chase to no avail.

Refusing to call it a night, the Cool Smashers staged a comeback with Bernadeth Pons, Tots Carlos and Valdez putting the Angels’ brick wall defense in shambles in the Set 3.

Pons guided Creamline in cutting down a four-point deficit and Valdez provided the clutch plays they badly needed to steal a set, which the Cool Smashers secured through an emphatic rejection by Carlos on an attacking Pablo.

SCHEDULE: 2025 PVL All-Filipino Conference SEMIFINALS

But the Angels couldn’t be denied, building an early five-point advantage in the fourth set that they protected on the superb performances of Sabete, Pablo along with Phillips and Van Sickle.

“Getting more points wasn’t my goal. I just focused on defense and blocking, but somehow got the opportunity to score,” said Sabete, who played in her only second game after coming out of the inactive roster due to an undisclosed injury.

They’ll be facing the Choco Mucho Flying Titans next in this single-round semifinal face-off where the top two teams progress to the best-of-three finals.

Pons and Carlos tallied 14 points apiece for the Cool Smashers, who topped the elimination round but could bow out of contention with another setback come Tuesday against the Akari Chargers.