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The Petro Gazz Angels celebrate after winning the 2025 PVL Reinforced Conference championship, November 30, 2025 at the Araneta Coliseum. PVL Media
MANILA (UPDATED) — Petro Gazz, known for being a powerhouse in PVL Reinforced Conferences, reclaimed its past glory and is now back on top of the import-laced tournament.
The Angels took down a youthful Zus Coffee side, 21-25, 28-26, 25-23, 25-20, to win their third Reinforced title—after missing out on a chance to defend their crown for a three-peat last year.
This marks their fourth overall PVL title, as they also won the 2024-25 All-Filipino contest, and the most first-place finishes in Reinforced Conferences, surpassing Creamline which has two crowns.
It was an up-and-down campaign for the Brooke Van Sickle-led squad, as they started 3-2 in Pool B, but peaked at the right time and earned the No. 5 seed following the conclusion of the two-round preliminaries.
En route to the finish line, they had to dethrone reigning champion Creamline in the quarterfinals and take out eventual bronze medalist Akari in the semifinals.
"I mean, it's awesome. I said in the beginning, 'let's run it back,' and I wouldn't say I was half-joking, but it's like you never know what's going to happen," said Lindsey Vander Weide after becoming the first PVL import to become a two-time league champion.
"And just the fact that we had such a weird start and a weird middle of the season, for us to pull it out and beat some of the top teams in the end just shows how much grit this team has," she added.
READ: Akari disconnects PLDT in comeback fashion to snatch PVL bronze
"We started a little slow, but we battled in the second. A couple of times, I think we had a little doubt, but the girls just kept focused, stayed together, and kept their unity. We just chipped away at it," said head coach Gary Van Sickle, who is already a PVL champion in just his first conference.
"But I think earlier in the year, we were [3-2], so those battles kind of helped us to fight for this one. So, I'm just proud of the girls. They did awesome," he added.
Despite a slow start against Zus Coffee in the finale, losing the opener to the rallying Thunderbelles, they regained their footing in the second set onwards.
But it had to go the hard way, as the Thunderbelles were on pace to seal a 2-0 lead after they reached set point twice in that frame.
Vander Weide was there to knot things up, 26-all, as Anna DeBeer's attack unfortunately sailed out, and Ranya Musa nailed the gutsy kill block on Thea Gagate to steal that frame at 28-26.
Step by step, the Angels slowly pulled away in Set 4, as Vander Weide powered Petro Gazz to championship point after a kill and sit on a 24-19 lead.
AC Miner kept her team in the game with a sharp hit in the middle, but Myla Pablo was there for the championship-winning down-the-line kill to finally put the Thunderbelles to sleep, walking away with the title.
Ball distribution was on point as rookie playmaker Jules Tolentino tallied 20 excellent sets, enabling her spikers and blockers throughout the game.
Vander Weide registered a match-high 23 points and nine excellent receptions, Van Sickle had 20 points and seven excellent receptions, MJ Phillips delivered 17 points, and Pablo had a double-double of 14 markers and 11 excellent digs.
"I'm really proud of our team for just having that grit and staying locked in and focusing when it really matters. And, I mean, it just goes to show, it doesn't matter how you start in a season, it just matters how you finish. So, I'm really proud of everyone," said Van Sickle.
On the other hand, it was an almost for the young Zus Coffee squad, but experience prevailed this time.
DeBeer, who was spectacular all-conference-long, had 18 points, Miner had 16 markers, and Gagate chipped in 11 points for the losing cause.
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