Angels, Flying Titans to hasten title series cast

Petro Gazz Angels celebrate a point against Chery Tiggo Crossovers in the PVL All-Filipino Conference semifinals. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

Crowd darling Choco Mucho and Petro Gazz try to seal title series slots in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference on Thursday when they battle sides that are awaiting the return of vital players after both went undrafted in a pro league overseas.

The Flying Titans battle Chery Tiggo in the 6 p.m. main game at PhilSports Arena in Pasig, and all signs point to Mylene Paat returning to give the Crossovers more traction as they fight for survival, same thing with defending champion Creamline, which is hoping for Tots Carlos to suit up against Petro Gazz at 4 p.m.

Paat and Carlos weren’t selected in the Korean pro league Draft as they missed the first game of the semifinals for their respective squads, which lovingly allowed them to try their luck there as their mother teams tried to handle business back home.

Both teams failed.

The Crossovers blew a one-set lead and went down against the Angels in four, while the Cool Smashers squandered a two-set lead and lost for the first time in 13 matches to sister team Choco Mucho.

Those defeats put them in must-win situations against the winners of the opening day of the semifinals.

Staying aggressive

Petro Gazz star Brooke Van Sickle actually doesn’t care whether Carlos gets to fly back home in time. She is more concerned about how the Angels sustain their frenetic play.

“Coming to the next game, just trying to stay aggressive and I feel like every player that steps on the court, everyone wants it, everyone wants to win, everyone’s aggressive,” Van Sickle, after dropping 21 points on the Crossovers in a 20-25, 25-21, 25-15, 25-16 victory on Tuesday, said.

“Like I need to match that and continue to give full effort and a hundred percent swing every single time. That is the game plan. Just hit the ball hard.” Creamline leader Alyssa Valdez refuses to acknowledge the absence of Carlos as something that helped in their downfall against the Flying Titans, and instead, is rallying the team to continue playing hard with or without the former Most Valuable Player.

“We will play our 100-percent best against Petro Gazz,” Valdez said on the heels of a 13-25, 19-25, 25-21, 25-20, 18-16 loss to the Flying Titans. “Whatever our situation is in that game, whatever the result of that game will be, we will accept it.”