Brooke Van Sickle and the Nxled Chameleons turned an eight-point deficit into a stunning third-set escape, then finished off Choco Mucho to preserve their unbeaten run in the PVL All-Filipino Conference Siklab Series on Tuesday night.
Trailing 14-22 in the third set, Van Sickle and MJ Phillips fueled an 11-1 closing run that gave Nxled a pivotal 25-23 set victory on the way to a 25-23, 23-25, 25-23, 25-17 triumph over the Flying Titans at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The comeback helped Nxled improve to 4-0, keeping the Chameleons tied with defending champion Creamline atop the standings.
Van Sickle, a three-time PVL conference MVP, finished with 19 points, 12 digs and 10 excellent receptions, delivering another all-around performance that proved crucial against a Choco Mucho side led by Eya Laure and Sisi Rondina-Rosales.
‘I’ll say Choco played really well. Definitely the first set, we were under a lot of pressure, and we felt it, and we had to calm ourselves down, try to stick together as much as possible throughout all the sets,’ Van Sickle said.
‘The third set, it’s not how it begins, it’s how it ends. So I’m really proud of the team for sticking through it,’ she added.
The Filipino-American spiker acknowledged the difficulty of containing Laure and Rondina-Rosales, two of Choco Mucho’s primary offensive weapons.
Rather than dwell on the points they surrendered, Van Sickle said the Chameleons concentrated on their own execution and refused to let their opponents’ attacks disrupt their composure.
‘Eya and Sisi are very good outside hitters, and they’re going to score points. That’s just what they do. So I think as a team, it’s like, how can we attempt to slow them down as much as possible and just stay calm,’ Van Sickle said.
‘We can’t be like, ‘Oh, shoot,’ and be frowning and stuff when they make an excellent kill. That’s just what they do. So I think that’s the thing: we had to focus on ourselves and execute what we need to do and make our own points to get that win against Choco.’
Laure finished with 18 points, while Rondina-Rosales contributed 14 as the Flying Titans dropped to 3-2 but remained alone in third place.
Beyond the competition, Van Sickle said the conference’s all-to-play format has presented a different physical and mental challenge, forcing players to adjust and stay ready throughout matches.
‘This is the first time I’ve ever been in a conference like this,’ Van Sickle said.