Van Sickle thrilled to make AVC debut

Brooke Van Sickle couldn’t wait to represent the Philippines when Petro Gazz sees action in the 2025 AVC Women’s Champions League that the country will host on 20 to 27 April.

Van Sickle admitted that she has yet to play in an international tournament and it will be truly an honor to don the national colors in the prestigious event, where the best club teams in Asia will be seeing action.

The Filipino-American open spiker has what it takes to make an impact in the AVC tilt.

She asserted her dominance when Petro Gazz sent packing via a 25-21, 25-19, 25-23 victory to punch a ticket to the semifinals of the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference late Tuesday at the Philsports Arena.

Semifinals start on Saturday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.

“With the team, we’re very excited to represent the Philippines. It’s truly an honor. I’ve never played in an international competition before,” said Van Sickle, who fired 24 points while asserting her dominance in the crucial third set that sent the Angels to the next round.

“I feel like this is going to be an eye-opening experience for me, and I’m really excited to see high-level volleyball and how other teams play.”

Petro Gazz has been drawn into Pool B of the 12-team tournament, where they will face tough competition from Taipower of Chinese Taipei and Hip Hing, the reigning champions of the 2024 Hong Kong Women’s Volleyball League.

‘As of right now, we’re excited, but we’re still in a conference, so I don’t want to get too excited and get ahead of ourselves.’

A top-two finish in their group would propel them into the knockout rounds, where the two finalists will secure slots in the prestigious 2025 FIVB Women’s Volleyball Club World Championship in Bangkok from 22 August to 7 September.

But before shifting their full focus to the international stage, the Van Sickle and the Angels must first complete their mission in the ongoing PVL wars, where they need to dominate the single-round semifinals to book a return flight to the finals.

“As of right now, we’re excited, but we’re still in a conference, so I don’t want to get too excited and get ahead of ourselves,” Van Sickle said.

“We still have games to play. Once this conference is over, then we can fully focus on the Champions League.”