PVL: Within reach of her 1st title, Brooke Van Sickle reminds Angels to stay grounded

Petro Gazz Angels star Brooke Van Sickle. Photo from PVL Media.MANILA — The Petro Gazz Angels soared a step closer to glory after they triumphed in Game 1 of the Premier Volleyball League 2024-25 (PVL) All-Filipino Conference Finals.

Led by Brooke Van Sickle, the squad avoided a meltdown and took down the Creamline Cool Smashers in five sets on Tuesday at the Araneta Coliseum for a pivotal 1-0 lead in the Best-of-3 series.

READ: PetroGazz denies Creamline's bid for reverse sweep, nears All-Filipino crown

Despite this being her first-ever taste of being in the championship round, the 5-foot-9, 27-year-old still delivered and tallied a game-high 24 points with 14 digs.

However, Van Sickle admitted that there were jitters for her before the contest.

“Before the game, I was nervous just ‘cause of how I know the environment will be, with Creamline and their fans,” she said after their win. “But it’s normal, you should be nervous, especially being in the Finals.”

BVS also touched on how she anticipated a colorful crowd, especially with the following that the Cool Smashers have.

“It’s exactly what I expected it to be,” she shared. “It was very loud, and five-setters? It could go either way, so I’m expecting Creamline to come out and play their best volleyball as possible.”

But while Van Sickle was as good as advertised against the perennial powerhouse, the favorite to win the league’s MVP award also understands how the Cool Smashers would not hand them the title just like that.

“We have to be ready, and we can’t go how the third set went, with low energy,” cited Van Sickle of how they faltered in the third frame after already being up 2-0.

“I’m just grateful for this journey, and I’m just proud of my team for being in the finals. But with that being said, it’s not over. This win does not matter yet, it’s still two out of three so we can’t get ahead of ourselves and think of the championship.”

“As soon as you start doing that, it’s gonna get taken away, so we have to stay grounded and present. Even though we won, there are still a lot of things that we need to work on,” she added.

Petro Gazz can clinch the championship on Thursday in Game 2, 6:30 p.m., still at the Big Dome, and for them to be able to do so, Van Sickle has this reminder for her squad:

“We need our energy to stay consistent,” she insisted. “We need constant communication, and I feel like our passing kinda broke down in the third, so we have to just be better.”

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