Angels soar back to PVL Reinforced Conference throne

MANILA, Philippines — Petro Gazz completed its ascent back to the zenith as it repulsed a feisty ZUS Coffee, 21-25, 28-26, 25-23, 25-20, in ruling the PVL Reinforced Conference before a sizable Smart Araneta Coliseum crowd on Sunday.

The Angels needed a set and a half to get going though, and when they did, they just found all the answers to every attempt the Thunderbelles made to pull off the championship-clinching victory.

It was the third crown in this same conference and fourth overall for Petro Gazz.

It was also the second championship for the gasoline franchise this year after claiming the toughest of them all and the one conference it hadn’t claimed in all those seasons it battled in the league—the All-Filipino Conference.

Now, they’re back on top.

It was a heartbreaking finish for ZUS, which appeared headed to its breakthrough crown when it took the opening set and was in control in the second

And then the Angels swooped down on the Thunderbelles and never looked back from there.

Earlier, Akari pounced on PLDT’s fourth-set meltdown as it eked out a come-from-behind 15-25, 25-23, 21-25, 26-24, 20-18 victory yesterday to clinch third place.

Trailing by a set, 2-1, and 15-4 in the fourth set, the Chargers came blitzing back to take the set, knot the count at 2-2 and forced a decider that they also took for the third place trophy.

It was the four-year-old franchise's third podium finish after a runner-up effort in this same conference last year and a third-place finish in the All-Filipino Conference early this year.

Annie Mitchem played like a gem and unloaded a 36-point effort, including clutch hits in that fourth-set juggernaut when Akari climbed out of an 11-point hole and saved Akari from the brink of defeat.

It was also the 31-year-old Mitchem who delivered when it mattered in the decisive final set.

“With Annie, I’m very proud. This is the seventh fifth-set that we had and she never wavered and left us, I’m so grateful to her,” said Akari coach Tina Salak of her power-spiking import.