PETROGAZZ bounced back from previous heartbreaks in style, clinching a hard-fought 15-25, 25-18, 24-26, 25-19, 15-13 decision over Creamline to fortify its bid for a spot in the semifinals of the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference at the Santa Rosa Multipurpose Sports Complex late Saturday.

The Angels silenced the predominantly Cool Smashers’ crowd among the 6,419 spectators at the jampacked Laguna venue, surging to commanding 8-3 and 10-5 leads in the decisive fifth set.

Behind the stellar performances of Brooke Van Sickle and Jonah Sabete, coupled with a resolute defense that stifled the Creamline’s attacks, Petro Gazz kept its composure to maintain control and secure the crucial win.

Despite Cool Smashers’ efforts to mount a comeback from a five-point deficit and narrow the gap to 10-11, Remy Palma and Aiza Pontillas emerged as pivotal figures for the Angels, injecting not just hustle and tenacity but also delivering clutch points to help anchor their team’s mind-draining two-hour and 26-minute victory.

Palma’s decisive two-handed dump gave PetroGazz a two-point cushion at 12-10. Although a service fault briefly interrupted their momentum, Van Sickle responded with back-to-back hits, the final one gained from a block touch challenge against Bea de Leon, propelling the Angels to match point at 14-12.

Alyssa Valdez soared for a kill to keep Creamline’s hopes alive but Pontillas rose to the occasion, delivering a kill that caught the Cool Smashers’ defense off-guard, sealing the victory for PetroGazz.

Van Sickle described their win as unreal while highlighting the incredible battle against a formidable opponent like Creamline. She also commended her team’s resilience and determination, expressing immense pride in their collective effort.

“It’s surreal,” said Van Sickle of their victory. “Creamline is an amazing team and it was such a hard battle. I can’t believe it but we just held on. It was so huge and I’m extremely proud of my team.”

The triumph also served as redemption for PetroGazz following its previous five-set defeats to Chery Tiggo and Choco Mucho. With the win, the Angels improved their record to 6-2, drawing level with their vanquished opponents for a share of third spot in a wild race to the semis.

Meanwhile, Choco Mucho retained the solo lead with a 7-1 record while PLDT grabbed solo second place with a 6-1 mark, further intensifying the competition as the tournament heads to the final stretch of the single round prelims.

Van Sickle finished with a career-high 29 points, besting her previous high of 27 against Chery Tiggo, while Sabete scored 21 points and Pontillas and Palma backed them up with 14 and 12 points, respectively.

Carlos came off the bench to topscore for Creamline with 15 points but while four others churned out double-dight scores for the Cool Smashers, they still proved not enough to overcome the Angels.

De Leon finished with 13 points, Valdez and Jema Galanza matched 11-point outputs and Michele Gumabao added 10 points, including six in the first set. Pangs Panaga also came up with nine markers and Bernadette Pons and Kyle Negrito chipped in four points apiece.