Angels soar past Chargers

MANILA, Philippines —  Petro Gazz went to Lindsey Vander Weide when the team needed her most, repulsing Akari, 29-27, 25-22, 19-25, 17-25, 15-11, yesterday in the PVL Reinforced Conference at the Filoil EcoOil Arena.

Vander Weide detonated a 22-point bomb she laced with a pair of powerful kills late in the fifth and deciding set to fend off the Chargers’ uprising and seal the Angels’ second win in a row and third overall in four outings.

“We worked really hard in the beginning and even though it went to the fifth set, we set a standard to just reach 15 points that really helped us,” said Vander Weide.

The Angels sent the Chargers reeling to their first defeat after a strong start that saw them pull the rug from under the Creamline Cool Smashers and the Chery Tiggo Crossovers in a pair of epic five-set squeakers.

Brooke Van Sickle provided the needed support with 19 hits while MJ Phillips and Myla Pablo chipped in 13 and 12 points, respectively.

Earlier, Chery Tiggo woke up from a deep slumber and smashed Galeries Tower, 25-9, 25-16, 25-23, to claim its first win in four assignments.

The Highrisers sank deeper at 0-4.

While the third set turned out to be the only tight stretch of the match, the Crossovers displayed composure that had eluded them in previous outings. Even when the Highrisers managed to tie the count at 23 on Jean Asis’ runner, Chery Tiggo didn’t flinch.

Pauline Gaston powered through a single block and Shaya Adorador sealed the deal with an off-the-block hit – two clutch plays that underscored the Crossovers’ poise under pressure.

In contrast, the Highrisers failed to capitalize on a couple of offensive thrusts, both of which were excellently dug and defended by the Crossovers.