By NIKOLE JAVIER 

Petro Gazz shrugged off a second set crisis to repulse Cignal, 25-17, 22-25, 25-12, 25-22, and retain its shelved crown in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Reinforced Conference Tuesday night, Dec. 6, at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City. 

It was a total team effort for the Angels who had four players in double digits led by import Lindsey Vander Weide who tallied 19 points –– earning her the Finals MVP honors after towering the net in the finals series.

Remy Palma also had her flashes of brilliance and finished with 18 points followed by Myla Pablo and MJ Phillips who contributed 17 and 12, respectively.

The Angels, who are the reigning champions from the 2019 edition, had to recover from a second-set collapse that allowed the HD Spikers to equalize before showing solid resolve in the next two sets to bag the title anew.

Tied at 6-all in the fourth set, Petro Gazz unleashed an 8-1 run capped by Palma with a smart drop to create a seven-point cushion. 

On a brink of collapse, after the Cignal side responded with a rally of its own to pull itself within one, 20-19, Petro Gazz came up with a quick respond and fired four more points to arrive at match point. 

The HD Spikers tried to salvage two more points following Tai Bierria’s drop ball and Ces Molina’s off-the-block kill, but it was Pablo who ultimately wrapped up the match with a vicious crosscourt attack.

Cignal, which led the round-robin semifinals, succumbed in its next three games against Petro Gazz. 

The finals first-timer was paced by Molina with a 14-point outing while Bierria and Rose Doria chipped in 12 and 11, respectively.