A WHOLE LOTTA ANGELS
Petro Gazz discovered something important on Tuesday night: the Angels don’t need to solely rely on Brooke van Sickle to be successful.
It’s an important lesson to learn as early as this part of the PVL All-Filipino Conference slated to run until April. This is the longest conference the league has ever hosted and it would do well for Petro Gazz to know that the rest of the Angels are always ready to step up to the plate.
But the lesson didn’t come easy. Petro Gazz needed to muster all the strength it had and, even then, had to rely on a sudden change in momentum to turn back a formidable Chery Tiggo side, 20-25, 20-25, 25-23, 25-15, 15-7, late Tuesday at PhilSports Arena.
“I’m super proud of everyone. I’m pretty sure almost the whole team played, I feel like. And everyone 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 first four frames.
Minor knee procedure
“We did start a little rough, but we did come off [the Christmas] break. Not that it’s an excuse. But Chery is a good team. I feel like [every time] we go [against] them, … [we go] five sets. So, I’m just really happy and proud of the team. We were able to figure it out, go through the rough patches, and work on it. So, I feel like we got better today as a team. So, I’m really happy,” she added.
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 always have conversations every day to update on how I feel … just had a little cleanup for my knee but I feel a lot better now,” the Filipino American spiker said.
“In the beginning, I was a little bothered by it. But I feel really great now. Again, we always have constant communication. I’m happy with my teammates. I’m happy with their performance. I’m happy everyone got to play. It was a good match,” she added.
And with Van Sickle’s limited minutes, everyone had a chance to help the team and among those who 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 worth
Nicole Tiamzon also stood her ground as Joy Dacoron and Ranya Musa, who is returning from an injury, also kept their composure in the middle.
Pablo has been continuously proving her worth since coach Koji Tsuzurabara thrust her back into the rotation and is playing a vital part in 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 always reminds us what our work is inside the court. I know that Brooke will not be playing [for most of the match] yet,” Pablo said. “So I told Brooke and Jonah [Sabete] that we need to work together to get [the win].”
