Petro Gazz, Cignal roll to sweeps as PVL resumes with quadruple-headers

MANILA, Philippines – The Petro Gazz Angels survived a lengthy second-set war with the upstart Farm Fresh Foxies to clinch a sweep, 25-21, 31-29, 25-17, in the resumption of the 2023 PVL Invitational Conference at the PhilSports Arena on Tuesday, July 11.

Former league MVP Grethcel Soltones led the morning quadruple-header kickoff match with 16 points off 15 attacks, backstopped by 15 points from veteran spiker Aiza Maizo-Pontillas as the Angels rose to a 2-1 record in Pool B.

Rookie middle blocker KC Galdones showed glimpses of potential with 6 points in two sets played off the bench as Petro Gazz aims to replace lost production from Fil-Am star MJ Phillips, who has since gone to the Korean V-League’s Gwangju AI Peppers as an import.

St. Benilde star spiker Gayle Pascual paced Farm Fresh’s third straight loss with 11 points, while former Adamson standout Kate Santiago scored 7. Ex-Ateneo role player Pia Ildefonso also made her pro league debut with 2 points off the bench.

Meanwhile, the Cignal HD Spikers likewise blanked the Foton Tornadoes off a strong opener, 25-10, 25-16, 25-22, to tie Petro Gazz with a 2-1 record in Pool B action.

Ces Molina and Jovelyn Gonzaga led the winning cause anew with 16 and 14 points, respectively, as Gel Cayuna steered the offense with 22 excellent sets.

Shaya Adorador powered through another losing effort – Foton’s third straight – with 13 points, all off attacks, while reigning NCAA MVP Mary Rhose Dapol scored 6.

Still scheduled to clash later in the day are the Akari Chargers (0-1) and Chery Tiggo Crossovers (0-1) at 4 pm, before the undefeated Choco Mucho Flying Titans (2-0) and F2 Cargo Movers (2-0) figure in a blockbuster 6:30 pm main event.

This is the first PVL Invitationals game day since July 1, as the league opted to halt operations to make way for the world-class 2023 Volleyball Men’s Nations League (VNL) Manila leg from July 4 to 9. – Rappler.com