Petro Gazz star Brooke Van Sickle in the AVC Champions League.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — With a short turnaround from their maiden PVL All-Filipino Conference, Brooke Van Sickle stressed that Petro Gazz Angels have flipped the switch and fully shifted their focus on facing tough teams in the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Champions League.
Just a week after their championship, two-time MVP Van Sickle continued to deliver the goods for Petro Gazz but the Angels still fell to Taipower of Chinese Taipei, 15-25, 16-25, 25-19, 20-25, in their first Pool B game on Monday at Philsports Arena.
The Filipino-American sensation said they weren’t pressured by their recent success. The loss was just a product of an off game for the Angels.
READ: ‘Flat’ Petro Gazz falls to Taipower in AVC Champions League
Brooke Van Sickle and Gia Day vow to bounce back. #AVCChampionsLeague @INQUIRERSports pic.twitter.com/VxMkURCvWk
— Lance Agcaoili (@LanceAgcaoilINQ) April 21, 2025
“We’re on a different tournament already, so no, I wouldn’t say there’s pressure. We’re expected to get pushed. These are all championship teams for a reason so we gotta switch our mental and get after it next game and just try to bounce back and stick together as a team as much as possible and just reflect,” said Van Sickle.
“I would say today wasn’t our best performance. We definitely came out a little flat, but again, I’ve always preached about this. Losses result in lessons learned, so I feel like, in a way, that this is an opportunity to grow from it and learn.”
Van Sickle added that the Angels need to play loose and stick together as they are now in a must-win situation against Hip Hing of Hong Kong on Tuesday night for the last quarterfinal berth in their group.
“I think the biggest thing is we play the sport because we love it and we want to have fun. I feel like today, we just really did not have fun. I’m not trying to discredit Taipower. I thought they did amazing. They’re a team that can push you physically, mentally. They’re just good at what they do. They stay in rhythm. They’re a very disciplined team, so that’s what we can learn from,” she said.
“We need to have more discipline and just stay together with higher energy. It was kind of like a rollercoaster moment, but towards the end, we did start pitching a little uphill.”
READ: AVC: Petro Gazz coach takes blame for debut loss to Taipower
Despite starting their campaign on the wrong foot, Van Sickle relished her opportunity playing for the Philippines in the AVC as she also roots for Creamline and PLDT.
“This is where we want to be. It was awesome that we were able to get into this tournament and I just think it’s an awesome opportunity just to watch good volleyball, even if it’s not even our pool. To watch Creamline and PLDT get their first wins is huge. I’m really proud of them. I thought they all did a really fantastic job and I wish them good luck for the next games,” Van Sickle said.
“It’s cool to be able to see other high-level teams that have pushed past mentally and physically and won their championships, to be able to learn from them just mentally and physically is really cool and skillful, so I’m excited to watch good volleyball.”
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