Petro Gazz tightened its grip on a potential Top 3 finish after grinding out a thrilling 29-27, 25-22, 19-25, 17-25, 15-11 victory over previously unbeaten Akari in the PVL Reinforced Conference preliminaries at the FilOil EcoOil Arena in San Juan on Thursday, October 23.

After dominating the first two sets, the Angels seemed on their way to a sweep. But the Chargers, known for their resilience in extended matches, stormed back to win the next two frames and push the contest into another nerve-wracking decider — their third straight five-setter of the tournament.

Vander Weide, Pablo lead decisive stand

When the pressure mounted, Petro Gazz’s championship DNA surfaced. The Angels raced to a 7-3 lead in the deciding set, capitalizing on Akari’s early miscues and well-timed attacks from Brooke Van Sickle and Myla Pablo. But a string of errors allowed Akari to close in at 7-6, forcing the Angels to steady themselves.

That’s when Pablo rose to the occasion. The former Finals MVP scored on a sharp combination play, followed it up with a service ace, and helped build a 10-6 cushion with a key block on Akari import Annie Mitchem. Even after the Chargers trimmed the gap to two, Petro Gazz regrouped quickly and maintained control.

In the end, import Lindsey Vander Weide took charge, delivering three straight hits to seal the win in emphatic fashion. She finished with 22 points and earned Best Player of the Game honors. Van Sickle added 19 markers, while MJ Phillips and Pablo tallied 13 and 12, respectively.

Angels show championship composure

Despite being outgunned in attacks (76-65) and aces (7-4), Petro Gazz’s blocking (11-5) and defensive discipline proved decisive. The team’s ability to execute under pressure underscored its veteran poise, with communication and energy returning at the right moment.

“Siguro nung first and two sets, naging okay naman ‘yung game namin… pero nung third and fourth, medyo bumaba ‘yung energy namin. So nung fifth set, talagang kailangan namin maibalik ‘yung communication,” Pablo said.

Coach Gary Van Sickle echoed the sentiment, noting how the squad needed to reset before finishing strong. “We came out firing but let up a bit after that… When we brought them back, they had energy — and that’s what we needed in the fifth,” he said.

For Akari, it was a tough loss despite a 30-point explosion from Mitchem. Fifi Sharma chipped in 18, while Eli Soyud and Ced Domingo added 14 and 13, respectively. The Chargers dropped to 2-1 but remained in contention as the elimination round continued to tighten.

With the victory, Petro Gazz improved to 3-1 in Pool B, keeping its semifinals hopes alive and proving once again why championship pedigree matters most in crunch time.