Petro Gazz's Vander Weide raring to build on explosive debut

MANILA, Philippines -- Petro Gazz import Lindsey Vander Weide made an immediate impact for the Gazz Angels on Tuesday night, putting on an explosive performance against Choco Mucho in their first game of the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Reinforced Conference.

The American, who played collegiate volleyball at Oregon, fired 25 points in a 27-25, 25-22, 28-26 sweep of the Flying Titans at the PhilSports Arena. She showed no fear of the moment, taking charge in the closing stretches of the first two sets to power the Gazz Angels to victory.

"It feels great, especially to do it in three [sets]," Vander Weide said of their win. "You never know how your team is gonna play until you play in an actual, real game. And I loved what we did today."

She had plenty of support, notably from Jonah Sabete who had 14 points, 14 digs, and 11 excellent receptions to earn Player of the Match honors. Myla Pablo and MJ Phillips each had eight points, and veteran settler Djanel Cheng was credited with 19 excellent sets.

Vander Weide was all praises for her teammates, notably Sabete who hit several clutch shots in the third set.

"I love having Jonah as my opposite, honestly. It takes a little pressure off me, if I'm not scoring super well, I know Jonah's gonna be scoring super well," she said. "She's a super-athletic player that knows how to score, she's swinging at every ball no matter the set, so I feel really confident having her on the court, honestly."

Petro Gazz coach Rald Ricafort said Vander Weide fit in well with the team, and called his team "blessed" to have an import with a great personality to match her on-court skills. Vander Weide, for her part, is eager to build on an impressive debut.

"I'm really pumped up after the first game. I'm a gamer, I like to play games, so I'm excited that the season has finally come to start," said the 24-year-old spiker. "I'm definitely gonna be bringing it."