Petro Gazz kept the momentum of its steal of a five-set win the previous night, outfoxing Cignal HD in four, 25-21, 28-26, 15-25, 25-21, to forge a title showdown with early finalist Creamline in the Premier Volleyball League Open Conference.
The Angels unleashed a strong finishing kick to clinch the opening set, pounced on Rachel Anne Daquis' sidelining due to cramps late in the second then rallied from a third set defeat to win the virtual duel of spurts in the fourth and complete their surprise 2-1 victory over the hard-luck HD Spikers in their best-of-three semis series at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan, Monday evening.
The four-set triumph came on the heels of the Angels' escape in the last two frames of their come-from-behind 25-22, 21-25, 22-25, 26-24, 18-16 win Sunday night that led to last night's sudden death for the right to face the Cool Smashers in the championship of the league's centerpiece tournament in its second pro season.
The Finals, set to start at 6 p.m. tomorrow back at the MOA Arena in Pasay will be Petro Gazz and Creamline's third title clash. The Angels stunned the Cool Smashers to snatch the Reinforced crown in 2019 but the latter got back at the former in the succeeding Open Conference.
The Cool Smashers swept the Choco Mucho Flying Titans in their side of the Final Four, extending their unbeaten run in the tournament they ruled in smashing fashion in 2018-19 before yielding it to Chery Tiggo in the league's inaugural pro staging in Ilocos Norte last year.
Averting a sweep, the HD Spikers took the first three points in the fourth, but the Angels countered with a four-point binge and the latter came away with another four-hit run to break away from a tight 8-7 count in the set's first changeover.
The Angels stayed in command at 17-13 and 23-18 and after the HD Spikers, reeling from the loss of their skipper, pulled within two at 21-23 on a block off Myla Pablo's push, Soltones foiled the HD Spikers' fightback with a power hit and Pablo closed out with an ace that landed short of reach of Jerrili Malabanan, triggering a celebration for the Angels, who had to beat the loaded F2 Logistics Cargo Movers to get to the semis against one of the league's two unbeaten squads.
As her serve fell on the floor undefended, Pablo also dropped, physically and mentally exhausted after playing back-to-back games in less than 24 hours that practically took their toll on the protagonists.
Petro Gazz coach Jerry Yee, however, shuffled his wards with aplomb with MJ Philips coming off the bench late in the fourth to deliver two tips that sandwiched Pablo's crosscourt hit for a 23-18 Petro Gazz lead in a stretch that somehow lacked the competitive fire that marked their furious encounter in the opener of their series.
Daquis, who helped anchor the HD Spikers' remarkable surge from the prelims to the quarters, suffered muscular exhaustion after firing a clutch baseline hit that put Cignal at match point, 24-22, in the second frame.
With her out of play, the Angels forced a tie on a Soltones hit and a rare Chie Saet block. And after the Petro Gazz setter saved another match point at 26 on a 1-2 play, Aiza Pontillas hammered in a blast and Pablo clinched it with a two-handed push following the HD Spikers' faulty reception.
Daquis' cramping out was a result of the two teams' virtual non-stop face-off, the sudden death coming after the Angels pounded out a gripping two-hour, 22-minute victory late Sunday. The HD Spikers and the Angels also had to do light workouts Monday morning before plunging into the do-or-die contest at the Filoil Flying V Arena.
And it was a sorry setback for Cignal HD, which surprised the talent-laden field with a sweep of their group prelims and then besting BaliPure in the quarters to reach the semis following a last-place finish last year marred by a single win in nine matches.
