Petro Gazz found its stride when it mattered most, gaining momentum late in the seeding race ahead of the 2025 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Reinforced Conference quarterfinals.

Fueling that surge — and silencing doubts brought on by their early struggles — was Brooke Van Sickle, the Filipino-American workhorse who has been the Angels’ driving force for the past two years.

Van Sickle unleashed a trademark triple-double of 27 points, 15 digs, and 14 receptions to tow Petro Gazz from eighth to fifth place with a gritty 25-21, 27-25, 23-25, 25-21 victory over PLDT to close out the preliminary round on Thursday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Her two-way brilliance earned her the PVL Press Corps Player of the Week award presented by Pilipinas Live for the period of 18 to 20 November.

The 27-year-old outside hitter believes the Angels — twice champions in import-laced play — have rediscovered their “best volleyball” at the perfect time as they push to get their redemption bid in full swing after last year’s brutal quarterfinal exit against their incoming playoff rival, Creamline.

“We’re definitely moving more cohesive as the games go on, so I’m really excited for that. I’m really proud of everyone stepping up and playing some gritty defense,” Van Sickle said, after Petro Gazz sealed back-to-back wins for a 5-3 record heading into the playoffs.

“We’re stepping in the right direction, slowly. It’s just a matter of working at practice and getting the reps in. I think we’ve got the team that gels the best right now.”

Van Sickle took the citation in near-unanimous fashion, edging Cignal’s Katrin Trebichavska, her Petro Gazz teammate Lindsey Vander Weide, Capital1 ace Oleksandra Bytsenko, ZUS Coffee’s AC Miner, Farm Fresh setter Alohi Robins-Hardy, and Choco Mucho veteran Royse Tubino in deliberations by reporters covering the country’s pioneering pro volleyball league.

After a quiet start, the Petro Gazz star picked up steam as the conference progressed, finishing the preliminaries eighth in digging (3.23 digs per set), ninth in spiking (35.48 percent success rate), and 10th in scoring (160 points).

Now looking to erase the sting of last year’s early playoff exit to the Cool Smashers, the two-time PVL Most Valuable Player knows the Angels must be in top form if they hope to reach the Reinforced Conference semifinals for the first time since winning their last import-backed crown in 2022.

“They’re a really tough team. We need to go back, watch film, make adjustments, and be on our A-game because they’re going to bring theirs,” the 5-foot-9 attacker said.

Petro Gazz and Creamline will square off in a knockout match on Monday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, with the winner punching a ticket to the semifinals on Thursday.