Feverish Lindsey Vander Weide powers Petro Gazz past Akari in five-set thriller

Still recovering from a high fever, Lindsey Vander Weide refused to let Petro Gazz falter. The American reinforcement dug deep and delivered when it mattered most, powering the Angels to a thrilling 29-27, 25-22, 19-25, 17-25, 15-11 victory over Akari in the 2025 PVL Reinforced Conference on Thursday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.

The 28-year-old Vander Weide, who was reportedly running a 40°C fever just days before the match, showed remarkable toughness as she anchored Petro Gazz with 22 points. Her heroics helped the Angels stave off a monumental collapse after squandering a two-set lead, improving their record to 3-1 in Pool B.

Petro Gazz appeared headed for a sweep after taking the first two sets, but Akari came roaring back behind import Annie Mitchem and middle blocker Ced Domingo, forcing a deciding fifth frame.

The final set was a rollercoaster. The Angels surged ahead 7-2 thanks to Djanel Cheng’s steady playmaking and the efforts of Brooke Van Sickle and Myla Pablo. But the Chargers, ever resilient, countered with a four-point run to pull within one. 

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ANGELS BRUSH OFF CHARGERS!

: AKARI vs. PETRO GAZZ

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Pablo answered with consecutive hits, followed by a Cheng block on Mitchem that pushed Petro Gazz ahead, 10-6. Akari’s Cams Victoria reignited their rally with a powerful off-the-block attack, bringing the deficit down once more. 

That’s when Vander Weide took control — nailing three clutch points in the Angels’ 4-1 finishing run, including the final two to seal the victory after two hours and 19 minutes of back-and-forth action.

“We knew that Akari’s tough. They actually… We came out firing, kind of let up a little bit. But we just kept battling, huddling the girls in timeouts — we battled,” said Petro Gazz head coach Gary Van Sickle.

Brooke Van Sickle had another all-around performance, tallying 19 points—all from attacks—alongside 13 excellent receptions and 12 digs. MJ Phillips added 14 points with four blocks, while Myla Pablo contributed 12 markers built on nine attacks, two rejections, and an ace.

Playmaker Jules Tolentino dished out 23 excellent sets before veteran Cheng took over in the fifth, stabilizing the offense in crunch time. Libero Jellie Tempiatura also shined defensively with 19 digs and 12 receptions.

For Akari, the loss halted their unbeaten start to the conference. Mitchem carried the scoring load with a game-high 30 points on 25 attacks, three blocks, and two aces, along with 10 excellent receptions. Fifi Sharma added 18 points in her best outing so far, while Eli Soyud and Ced Domingo contributed 14 and 13 points, respectively.

Setter Mars Alba finished with 27 excellent sets, and captain Justine Jazareno tallied 18 digs, but the Chargers ran out of steam late, falling to 2-1. They will aim to bounce back against Galeries Tower on Tuesday at 1:00 p.m.

Earlier in the day, Chery Tiggo finally broke into the win column, sweeping Galeries Tower 25-9, 25-16, 25-23. Cuban import Yuni Batista led the Crossovers with 20 points, while Ara Galang added 11 markers and six digs in the victory.

Galeries Tower, still seeking its first win, will face Akari next to close out the opening round of Pool B.

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