Van Sickle says Angels getting tougher with difficult matches

MANILA, Philippines – Petro Gazz hitter Brooke Van Sickle is taking the positives as the Angels have repeatedly been tested in the ongoing 2024 PVL Reinforced Conference, surviving back-to-back five setters to keep their quarterfinals hopes alive with a win over PLDT on Saturday.

After a tough three-game slump in the first round put them in a perilous position in Round 2, Petro Gazz has been fighting tooth and nail to get back into the conversation.

Though less than ideal than what the Angels would’ve liked for their title defense, Van Sickle said that it would ultimately help them as they prepare for even more crucial games heading into their last game of preliminaries.

“Yeah I would say it’s good. It’s good to be able to have these five setters very early. Because it’s very stressful and [but] really you wanna be in those moments,” Van Sickle said after a 32-point performance against the High Speed Hitters.

“It’s how great players I feel like are made, and how great teams are made — is [that] they’re able to stay consistent, very calm in those situations and be able to handle business,” she added.

With a 4-3 slate, the Angels will still have to win against the Chery Tiggo Crossovers in their last game on Thursday to take a spot in the next round. Riding the momentum of their back-to-back wins, Van Sickle is hoping for the best.

“So I’m really happy that we’re able to get these experiences early on. So hopefully, when it does matter, hopefully we’ll be able to stay still, calm and collected,” she said.

Despite the mounting pressure on the Angels as they seek to keep their Reinforced Conference title, the team is also looking at things on a game-to-game basis.

Though aware of the urgency and impact of each game, they’re not getting ahead of themselves in order to keep themselves focused on the task at hand.

“Yeah, our backs are against the wall and I feel like we’re just taking it day by day, game by game, yeah, I’m really proud of the team, we’ve been able to pull off five setters and that’s really hard to do. It’s very stressful… When it gets to five sets, it can go either way,” said the Filipino-American hitter.

“You just don’t know what’s gonna happen and I mean, as an athlete you wanna play in these situations. You wanna play [them], even though it sucks at the same time, but you wanna be in those environments because that’s what makes it fun. Makes the win a little bit special. But yeah, I would just [say], we’re fighting.”

Van Sickle and the Angels will make their next move in their title-retention bid as they face the Crossovers in the main game at 5 p.m. Thursday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre.