MANILA – Petro Gazz Angels secured the 2024 Philippine National Volleyball Federation Champions League crown after a 25-19, 27-25, 25-22 sweep of Cignal HD Spikers in the finals on Saturday night at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
Saved for the back-and-forth second set, the Angels, led by Negrense Jonah Sabete and Brooke Van Sickle, showed their dominance in the knockout finale to cap the week-long tournament with a crown.
“Dun sa second set kami medyo nahirapan,” said HD Spikers team captain Mary Remy Palma. “Nung naka-run ang Cignal, sinabihan lang kami na we need to stay composed and slow down sa mga ginagawa namin inside the court.”
“Pero madami pa kaming dapat ayusin sa team namin, kailangan naming maging consistent and makabisado ‘yung system ni coach Koji (Tsuzurabara),” she added. “Thankful kami sa PNVF experience namin, and sana madala namin ito sa PVL.”
Van Sickle, who was later named as tournament Most Valuable Player and 1st Best Outside Hitter, expressed her happiness in contributing to the Angels’ success even though it marked her first experience playing consecutive games in as many days.
“I never played three games in a row, and it is very exhausting,” said Van Sickle. “Our hard work has paid off, and I have had so much fun. This is a super great experience.”
Aside from Van Sickle, her Angels teammates Sabete and Palma were awarded the 2nd Best Outside Hitter and 2nd Best Middle Blocker, respectively.
The Angels finished the elimination round in third place with a 2-2 win-loss slate before pulling off stunners over the Chery Tiggo Crossovers in the semifinals and against the HD Spikers in the finals.
Meanwhile, the Crossovers bounced back from their semifinals defeat with a 25-20, 25-13, and 25-13 domination over College of St. Benilde Lady Blazers to capture the bronze medal.
Meanwhile, Chery Tiggo Crossovers’ Aby Maraño won the 1st Best Middle Blocker, Cignal HD Spikers’ Dawn Macandili-Catindig and Gel Cayuna were recognized with the Best Libero and Best Setter awards, respectively, while Gayle Pascual of the College of St. Benilde was named the Best Opposite Spiker of the tournament./PN
