Chie Saet has made it clear how much winning the PVL All-Filipino Conference (AFC) crown means to her.
“I might retire soon, so I really hope we can win the [AFC] title,” the veteran playmaker said.
To fulfill that dream, she and her Petro Gazz squad will have to go through a dominant dynasty that also has an underrated setter running the offense.
The Angels hammered out a 25-22, 25-20, 25-28 victory over the Akari Chargers behind Saet’s brilliance on Thursday to book their ticket to the championship series.
“It feels very surreal,” star hitter Brooke Van Sickle said.
Myla Pablo helped make it real, scoring 16 points that featured four off blocks. Van Sickle added 15 points on 14 attacks as the Angels get a fourth crack at winning a championship without an import.
Petro Gazz has won two titles, both during the Reinforced Conference.
“The job is not yet done,” Pablo said. “We have to focus now on the Finals.”
Standing as the last obstacle for Petro Gazz are the Creamline Cool Smashers, who punched their ticket to another Finals appearance by blanking Choco Mucho, 25-19, 25-15, 25-15, in the second game at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Creamline, like Petro Gazz, had an array of scorers to thwart its sister team, and all of them performed well under the astute playmaking of Kyle Negrito, who had 17 excellent sets.
“Our mindset in this game helped us,” Negrito said after the match. “We knew it was a do-or-die [game], and we played like our only option was ‘do.’”
The championship starts on Tuesday next week as Creamline and Petro Gazz battle for the title for the fifth time.
“Now that we are here, we will work hard for it and will do everything to finish it properly,” said the 40-year-old Saet, who allowed the likes of Van Sickle and Pablo to shine.
“Coach gave me the chance to play, so I didn’t waste it,” Pablo said. “I’m also happy with the setters who trust me and give me confidence on the court.”
Van Sickle will lead the Angels’ hitters against the deep roster of scorers at Creamline.
“They’re always a winning team. They’re always in the finals, so I’m gearing up,” Van Sickle said.
Petro Gazz defeated Creamline on the way to a sweep of the semifinal round, but Van Sickle isn’t putting too much stock in that.
“[W]e were lucky to get a win off of them in the semis, so we’ll see,” she said.
Bernadeth Pons led Creamline with 14 points, while Tots Carlos added 13 and Alyssa Valdez chipped in 11.
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.
And Valdez feels that despite foiling Petro Gazz’s three previous attempts to win an all-Filipino crown, Creamline will have its hands full in the championship, especially with Van Sickle on deck.
“You can see that she’s now in sync with the team and fits perfectly into their system,” said Valdez. “We’re facing a new challenge now, and we’re ready to take on it.” INQ
