Petro Gazz roared back with a dominant 25-19, 25-13, 28-26 victory over ZUS Coffee, forcing a sudden-death battle for a Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference semifinal berth at the Ynares Center in Antipolo on Saturday, March 22.

Angels Regain Control

Riding the momentum of their flawless second-set performance, the Angels dominated the first two sets with relentless attacks and strong net defense. However, the Thunderbelles fought back in the third, turning it into a gripping battle.

Trailing 19-23, ZUS Coffee unleashed a determined 4-0 run, tying the set and electrifying the crowd. Despite saving one match point, they faltered at 25-24 due to a crucial positional error by Aiza Pontillas.

Jonah Sabete, returning after a long injury absence, delivered a clutch kill past Thea Gagate and another defender, restoring match point for Petro Gazz. But Jovelyn Gonzaga refused to let ZUS Coffee go down easily, answering with a stunning crosscourt hit.

On her 27th birthday, Brooke Van Sickle stepped up with a blistering attack that shook the Thunderbelles’ defense. A miscue off her serve led to a costly reaching-over-the-net violation, sealing the Angels’ victory in just one hour and 19 minutes of action-packed volleyball.

“We got a little too eager,” said MJ Phillips, reflecting on their late-game stumbles. “We just wanted to end the set quickly. But we reminded each other to stay calm and focus on one point at a time.”

Key Players Shine for Petro Gazz

Phillips, named Best Player of the Game, tallied 11 points, mostly off quick attacks. Van Sickle led the charge with 17 points and eight digs, while Myla Pablo and Sabete matched Phillips’ output with 11 markers each.

In contrast to Game 1—where ZUS Coffee had five players scoring in double figures—only Chinnie Arroyo reached double digits this time. Chai Troncoso, who led the Thunderbelles with 14 points in their previous win, struggled with just eight points, the same as Gagate.

Petro Gazz outscored ZUS Coffee 47-37 in attacks while also dominating the net with seven blocks to two.

Decisive Game 3 Looms

With the series now tied, both teams will battle for a semifinal berth in a high-stakes Game 3 on Tuesday at Philsports Arena.

The Angels, two-time Reinforced Conference champions, are expected to ride their momentum, while ZUS Coffee looks to regain their Game 1 magic.

Will Petro Gazz complete the comeback, or will the Thunderbelles defy the odds once again? Fans won’t want to miss this winner-take-all showdown.