BROOKE Van Sickle delivered the first two points for Petro Gazz and the Angels broke free midway through the first set and coasted to a 25-12, 25-20, 25-12 victory over the Strong Group Athletics in yesterday’s inaugurals of the 2024 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
Despite some initial jitters and uncharacteristic errors, Petro Gazz displayed its prowess, particularly with superb performance from Nicole Tiamzon, who came away with 13 hits and two aces. The two-time Reinforced Conference champions flashed their superiority through powerful wing hits from Tiamzon, Van Sickle, Myla Pablo and Marite Espina, along with quick plays orchestrated by Ivy Perez and Djanel Cheng.
They also exhibited their dominance in blocking, 4-1.
Coach Koji Tsuzurabara, making his triumphant debut in the league organized by Sports Vision, acknowledged the nervous energy within the team but praised the players for adjusting. Marian Buitre, Joy Dacoron and Michelle Morente stepped up when needed, enabling the Angels to secure victory in just 68 minutes.
“All players seemed nervous, so no good movement, so they made some mistakes,” said Tsuzurabara, who described his players’ performance as “so-so.”
Van Sickle, reflecting on the match, recognized the tense moments but credited the Athletics for their spirited performance.
“It was a little tense, not really flowing as well,” said Van Sickle, who also flourished in her first PVL stint with seven points and 10 excellent digs. “The other team also fought very well, they were scrappy, so it was good.”
Tiamzon, on the other hand, expressed satisfaction with playing all three sets but underlined the need for the team to work on chemistry and reduce errors.
“We’re still trying to find our chemistry, maraming lapses, maraming errors,” said the former UP Fighting Maroons standout. “We’ll go back to training and we’ll fix everything.”
The Angels came through with 42 spikes against the Athletics’ measly 15 and pounced on their rivals’ sloppy service reception to score eight aces.
Skipper Dolly Versoza finished with six points while Angeli Can and Sheeka Espinosa added four and two markers, respectively, for the Athletics.
Despite the defeat, Strong Group remains optimistic about their progress in the elims with coach Onyok Getigan confident in refining his team’s offensive plays to elevate their competitiveness in the coming matches, particularly after ending up with just two excellent sets.
In contrast, Petro Gazz produced 13, including seven from Perez, who also finished with three points.
