MANILA – Petro Gazz Angels stayed alive in the PVL 2nd All-Filipino Conference quarterfinals after a 25-19, 25-13, 28-26 sweep over ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles in Game 2 over the weekend at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
MarJana Phillips finished with 11 points, consisting of nine attacks and two blocks, earning her the title of Player of the Game for the Angels, which tied the best-of-three series at 1-1.
“The last couple of practices, we really came together and talked about what happened in the first game, and we decided to bounce back and come out firing in this game,” Phillips said after the game.
The Angels were ahead 23-19 in the latter part of the third set, but the Thunderbelles responded with a 6-1 scoring run, fueled by attacks from Thea Gagate and Jovelyn Gonzaga, along with consecutive errors from Petro Gazz, taking a 25-24 lead.
The Angels countered with two quick points from Brooke Van Sickle and Aiza Maizo-Pontillas to regain the lead at 26-25, but the Thunderbelles equalized at 26-all with a hit from Gonzaga.
Petro Gazz then surged ahead 27-26 following a powerful attack from Van Sickle before sealing the victory due to a net touch violation by ZUS Coffee.
Van Sickle led the way for the Angels with 17 points, including 15 attacks, while Myla Pablo and Negrense Jonah Sabete each added 11 points.
Chinnie Arroyo was the only player for the Thunderbelles to reach double digits, scoring 10 points, while Ilongga Glaudine Troncoso and Gagate were limited to eight points each.
Meanwhile, Creamline Cool Smashers battled back from a set down to eliminate the Chery Tiggo Crossovers in Game 2, 20-25, 25-21, 25-22, 25-22, to wrap up their best-of-three quarterfinals series at 2-0.
Negrense Bernadeth Pons finished with 18 points, including 17 attacks, to go with 15 excellent receptions, while Bea de Leon and Diana Carlos added 14 markers apiece for Creamline./PN
