MANILA, Philippines – Filipino-American hitter Brooke Van Sickle isn’t fretting about needing to have another 36-point eruption for the Petro Gazz Angels as they aim to clinch the bronze medal in the 2024 PVL All-Filipino Conference this weekend.
Though the offense centered around her in Game 1 on Thursday, where they eked out a five-set squeaker past the Chery Tiggo Crossovers, the University of Hawaii alum said there’s no expectations to come up with high-scoring performances day-in and day-out.
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This is because, according to Van Sickle, any of the players on the Angels’ roster can do what she did.
“Throughout the season, I think we did a good job, during conference and everything, I don’t have to score that type of points because of my teammates. My teammates, I can rely on them.” Van Sickle said on Thursday.
“I know other people are producing points, like any one can have their day, or their night or whatever, and you know, so like my teammates, they can do amazing things. I don’t feel too much pressure just because I have my teammates.”
Not only did Van Sickle deflect the credit to her teammates to do exactly as she did, she also attributed her own personal milestone — a career-high scoring output — to her setter Djanel Cheng.
“For me, I would rather just win and you know, I can’t do it without my teammates. DJ was setting great balls, we’re picking up balls, we’re passing really well and my teammates, in like three rotations, they relieved from passing, so I don’t have to pass as much now, so that lets me free up a lot more,” she said.
“The coaches too, they told me like, ‘hey, if you’re in a situation where you know, you feel stressed or anything, like try to go here’, and all my teammates do too, they’re like ‘hey, challenge this blocker’, they give me strategies a lot. So I’m very thankful for that and they help me,” she continued.
Van Sickle plays and acts like she’s just at home with the Petro Gazz Angels, even if she has only been with them for one conference. Especially after their back-to-back semis losses, the Fil-Am hitter underscored the importance of her connection with her teammates.
“Yeah, I mean, you know the last two games, they’re tough teams. Losing sucks, you know, no one wants to lose but I feel they’re good opportunities to learn and self-reflect, our team did a good job,” Van Sickle said.
“We actually had a little potluck, so we had a little team bonding to be like, hey let’s make sure we’re on the same page. You know, it sucks, but you know, tomorrow’s a new day, we have to stick together and you know, be one family, be one unit as we keep moving on. So I feel like we did a good job bouncing back,” she added.
Job’s not done for Van Sickle and co., though, as they still have Game 2 to close out the Crossovers and claim their place on the podium. They go for the jugular on Sunday, May 12, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.