MANILA – Petro Gazz Angels completed its upset of Cignal HD Spikers with a 25-21, 28-26, 15-25, 25-21 beating in the do-or-die semifinals of the 2022 PVL Open Conference last night at the San Juan Arena.
The Angels kept the momentum from its 25-22, 21-25, 22-25, 26-24, 18-16 win in Game 2 on Sunday night to set up a championship showdown with Creamline Cool Smashers beginning on Wednesday.
It was a sorry setback, however, for Cignal HD, which surprised the talent-laden field with a sweep of their group prelims and then besting BaliPure in the quarters to reach the semis following a last-place finish last year
The Angels unleashed a strong finishing kick to clinch the opening set, before pouncing on Cignal HD star Rachel Anne Daquis’ sidelining due to muscular exhaustion late in the second to take a commanding 2-0 set edge.
The HD Spikers, however, came out firing in the third frame to avert a sweep and maintained the momentum at the onset of the fourth, but the Angels countered with a four-point binge to take an 8-7 lead.
The Angels stayed in command at 17-13 and later at 23-18, but the HD Spikers made its last stand as it chopped down Petro Gazz’s advantage to 21-23.
Gretchel Soltones, however, foiled the HD Spikers’ fightback with a power hit and Myla Pablo closed out the do-or-die semis game with an ace that landed short of reach of Jerrili Malabanan.
The Cool Smashers-Angels best-of-three championship encounter will be the third time that the two squads competed for the PVL championship.
The Angels stunned the Cool Smashers in their first PVL finals meeting during the 2019 Reinforced Conference before Creamline bounced back in the Open Conference in the same year.
Meanwhile, Dindin Santiago-Manabat fired 32 markers as dethroned champions Chery Tiggo outlasted Black Mamba-Army Lady Troopers, 25-15, 25-20, 20-25, 23-25, 15-12 in the classification round./PN
