Lindsey Vander Weide and Brooke Van Sickle’s reunion was good as advertised, as they led Petro Gazz past Galeries Tower, 25-21, 25-19, 25-14, in the PVL Reinforced Conference on Thursday at the Dasmariñas Arena here.
Vander Weide picked up from where she left off three years after winning the championship for Petro Gazz as she delivered 13 points off nine kills, two blocks, and two aces.
‘I think we have a lot of depth this year as you saw the players coming in, anybody can step on the court and make a difference. That makes me really comfortable playing with them,’ said Vander Weide ‘I know everybody around me is gonna do their job. That showed tonight because it was really a team win.’
Vander Weide reunited with her college teammate from Oregon and two-time All-Filipino Conference MVP Van Sickle, who led the way with 14 points off 12 kills and two aces. MJ Phillips chipped in 12 points, including a game-high four blocks. Jonah Sabete had eight points, while Djanel Cheng dished out 14 excellent sets.
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Brooke’s father, Gary, also had a winning debut as the new Petro Gazz head coach. ‘It was good, I think we came out a little slow, but overall it was a good team effort. I like what we saw, the little things that we can fix, we can do that practice, but overall it was a good win. Any win is a good win in the PVL,’ said Gary, who took over the coaching reins after Koji Tsuzurabara and interim Brian Esquibel.
Petro Gazz will be tested right away on Tuesday, battling defending champion Creamline for its second win in Pool B at Smart Araneta Coliseum at 6:30 p.m.
The HighRisers couldn’t give new coach Godfrey Okumu a winning debut after dropping their first Pool B game.
No one scored in double figures, with Montenegrin Jelena Cvijovic and new starting middle blocker Dodee Batindaan leading the way with nine points each.