Petro Gazz overcomes slow start, escapes Chery Tiggo in PVL semis

Petro Gazz shrugged off a first set hiccup to deny Chery Tiggo, 20-25, 25-21, 25-15, 25-16, and get its first win in the PVL All-Filipino Conference round robin semifinals on Tuesday at PhilSports Arena.

The Angels turned things around after dropping the opening frame to go 1-0 in the Final Four round while the Crossovers dropped to 0-1. Earlier, Choco Mucho got its franchise's breakthrough win against Creamline to likewise go 1-0.

Brooke Van Sickle nailed back-to-back hits before her own service ace sent Petro Gazz to a huge 16-10 lead, which was followed by a temporary pause in the match due to technical difficulties.

But that didn't in any way stop the momentum from shifting away from the Angels as veteran Aiza Maizo-Pontillas' drop made it a 20-12 cushion for the Koji Tsuzurabara-mentored squad.

Remy Palma put the roof on Ara Galang before she completed a running kill, allowing Petro Gazz to capture the match point at 24-16 while Van Sickle's power hit on the open finished it off.

Both squads return to action on Thursday with Petro Gazz taking on Creamline while Chery Tiggo will slug it out against Choco Mucho. 

—JMB, GMA Integrated News