Petro Gazz Angels’ Brooke Van Sickle during the PVL All Filipino Conference semifinals against Choco Mucho Flying Titans. –MARLO CUETO/IINQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines —Brooke Van Sickle proved to be just as effective on floor defense as she is on offense as she moved closer to her first-ever Finals stint in the 2024-25 PVL All-Filipino Conference with Petro Gazz.
Van Sickle drilled 17 points and tallied 22 excellent receptions and 12 digs as Petro Gazz survived Choco Mucho, 24-26, 25-18, 25-17, 27-25, to stay unbeaten in the semifinal round with a 2-0 record on Tuesday night at Philsports Arena.
PVL: Petro Gazz outplays Choco Mucho to close in on Finals berth
“I just try to take every touch seriously. How I think about defense is that the better I dig the ball, the more opportunities my teammates get,” she said.
“And it just the better I can dig, the more calm it is, versus chaotic, out of system [plays]. I try my hardest to try to get the middles involved and try to not stress out the setters as much and just give everyone good opportunities,” said Van Sickle.
“I feel like that’s how the thought process should be with defense. When I’m not on the frontcourt, then it’s like, okay, what can I do in the backcourt to give back? That’s it.”
The Filipino-American sensation knew that should played well-rounded against the resilient and hard-hitting Flying Titans, led by Sisi Rondina.
“Choco Mucho did a fantastic job. Even their fans, it’s so cool to play in environments like that. Just so much energy. It can be hard to focus but I thought we did a great job just staying calm and together. And as a team, we just talked about it. They’re physical. They’re digging balls, they’re jumping high, hitting hard. They’re just doing Choco Mucho things,” she said.
PVL: Myla Pablo’s resilience fuels Petro Gazz in crucial win
“For us, we just kept trying to stay grounded. Trying to stay patient. We knew it wasn’t going to be a pretty win. It was going to be a groveling, tiring win. It took everyone. Just to try to stay as a team, it was rough. But a win’s a win.”
Van Sickle, who is part of Alas Pilipinas’ 33-player wishlist, remains laser-sharp sharp focused on Petro Gazz’s bid to return to the finals after two years.
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.
Petro Gazz seeks to clinch its ticket to the championship round and sweep the semifinals against Akari on Thursday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
