In a no-tomorrow stretch, Petro Gazz showed the fire and grit that had fueled its two previous PVL Reinforced Conference crowns. Where other teams crack under pressure, the Angels rose – one escape at a time – until they fulfilled their mission.
Coach Gary Van Sickle admitted their early inconsistencies nearly doomed them.
“Yeah, like some of the players said, we were still feeling it out… it was us killing ourselves,” he said, pointing to miscues that stalled their campaign.
But once the errors were addressed, everything shifted.
“As soon as we cleaned it up, we started rolling,” added Van Sickle.
And roll they did – whirling, surging, then roaring through the most treacherous path of the season.
After a costly loss to Farm Fresh pushed them to the brink, Petro Gazz fought back, defeating Capital1 and PLDT to secure the fifth seed entering the knockout phase.
From there, the Angels played their fiercest volleyball. Even with Lindsey Vander Weide sidelined by injury, they dethroned the Creamline Cool Smashers in the quarterfinals and outlasted the Akari Chargers in a tense semifinal thriller.
Their four-set triumph over the over-achieving ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles in the finals sealed not just a championship, but a testament to their never-say-die identity.
Against the Anna DeBeer-led Thunderbelles, however, the Angels initially appeared rattled. And Van Sickle knew they needed a reset – and fast.
“We started off a little slow… but the girls kept focused, stayed together,” he said. “Once we got the lead, I think they started feeling the pressure.”
Those early-season struggles, he emphasized, prepared them for moments like this. “Earlier in the year, we were 3-3. Those battles helped us fight for this one,” he said.
For the Van Sickle family, the victory carried even deeper meaning. Gary, wife Lisa, and daughter Brooke had all journeyed together – the first full-family staff to win a PVL championship.
“We always watched Petro Gazz from afar,” Gary said. “When the opportunity came, we didn’t hesitate. It worked out well.”
Brooke, who earned Conference MVP honors, called it the ride of a lifetime.
“It doesn’t matter how you start, it matters how you finish,” she said. “This team had grit. We locked in when it mattered.”
She also praised Finals MVP MJ Phillips, who had been both anchor and emotional support.
“MJ’s my bestie… She uplifts me no matter what. In crunch time, it’s reassuring to look at her and know she’s locked in,” she said.
Vander Weide, hero of the 2022 title run, savored a full-circle moment.
“We had such a weird start and middle, but pulling this off shows our grit. We knew we had it all along,” said Vander Weide, who brushed off their rocky first set in the finals.
“It was just us cleaning it up. Volleyball is a game of errors – who makes less, who scores more. We put pressure on them and turned it around,” she said.
The Angels also maintained their uncanny Reinforced Conference rhythm – 2019, 2022, and now 2025 – three titles, each three years apart.
But this time, they reject the idea of waiting until 2028 for another. With their core intact and culture strengthened, they believe this is the beginning of another ascent.
“Twice is nicer,” said Vander Weide with a grin. “This team has grit – it shows itself as the best.”
As for a third return?
“Who knows? If I’m coming back, I’d love to be with this team. Why not a 3-peat?,” she said.
