Petro Gazz rediscovered its old fiery form and dismantled ZUS Coffee, 25-19, 25-13, 28-26, to forge a do-or-die for the semifinal berth in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City on Saturday, March 22.

Clinging for dear life after bowing in Game 1 of their best-of-three quarterfinals series a few days ago, 25-21, 25-23-, 27-25, the Angels asserted their might by attacking the net at all angles to keep their title campaign alive.

Brooke Van Sickle rose to the challenge and bannered Petro Gazz anew by unloading 15 kills to finish with 17 points, while MJ Phillips, Myla Pablo and Jonah Sabete also provided muscle and firepower by contributing 11 points apiece.

After dictating the pace in the first two sets, the Angels found stiff resistance in the third frame as the Thunderbelles kept the game close with veteran Jovelyn Gonzaga and Chinnie Arroyo leading their charge.

A hard-hitting spike from Van Sickle sent Petro Gazz at matchpoint, 24-23, but seldom-used Antonette Adolfo’s serve went long, allowing ZUS Coffee to breathe life in its bid to extend the match.

However, the Thunderbelles failed to capitalize on that chance as a rotational fault brought the momentum back to the Angels, which they took quickly as Aiza Pontille and Van Sickle teamed up for the crucial points.

Phillips said they learned a lot from that stinging Game 1 defeat.

“The last couple of practice, we talked a lot about our performance in Game 1 and told ourselves we couldn’t play like that again,” she said.

“So we just kept on re-learning. We calmed down and focused on getting it one point at a time,” she added.

Chie Saet was also instrumental in Petro Gazz’s victory, converting 18 of the team’s 20 excellent sets, while Van Sickle also took charge of the floor along with Jellie Tempiatura with combined 16 digs.

None except for Arroyo, who had 10 points, scored in double figures for ZUS Coffee as Thea Gagate and Glaudine Troncoso were limited to eight points each.

Game 3 will be on Tuesday at the Philsports Arena.