Jules Tolentino earned the full trust of the Petro Gazz Angels as she steered her squad to victory over the Capital1 Solar Spikers to clinch a PVL Reinforced quarterfinal berth.
RODRIGUEZ, Rizal — In the biggest match of Petro Gazz’s 2025 PVL Reinforced Conference campaign so far, Jules Tolentino proved she now has the team’s full trust to run the show.
The young setter took complete command of the Angels’ offense, firing 27 excellent sets and adding three points in their four-set victory over the Capital1 Solar Spikers, 25-27, 25-13, 25-10, 25-13, on Saturday at the Ynares Center Montalban.
With Tolentino setting up the offense, Petro Gazz finally had the deadly outing expected from its trio in import Lindsey Vander Weide, Brooke Van Sickle, and MJ Phillips, who combined for 63 total points.
“Now na we know na we’re heading to a crucial match, lumalabas ‘yung power ng bawa't isa. ‘Yung will namin to do as much as we can sa training, happy kami na nashowcase namin today,” Tolentino said during the post-game press conference.
Learning to trust herself — and her hitters
The 11th overall pick in the 2025 PVL Rookie Draft admitted that confidence used to be her biggest hurdle. However, nights like this showed how far she has come with the full backing of her coaches and veteran teammates.
“Ever since, naging struggle ko talaga ‘yung kumpiyansa,” Tolentino admitted.
“Pero ngayon, yung moment na binibigay sa’kin, ayoko na siyang bitawan. Gusto kong panghawakan yung trust ng coaches and teammates. Minindset ko na ibibigay ko lahat for this team.”
[ALSO READ: PVL: Jules Tolentino grateful for guidance from Petro Gazz's veteran setters amid learning curve]
Her growth has also been fueled by the veteran setters around her, namely Chie Saet and Djanel Cheng, who’ve helped her understand what each attacker needs.
“As a setter, I have to adjust to every spiker. Hindi sila pare-pareho,” the former DLSU standout added. “Sobrang nagma-matter sa’kin yung feedback nila. Happy ako na vocal sila on what they want, and nawo-work on ko paunti-unti yung connection namin.”
Perfect timing heading into the quarterfinals
The victory hiked Petro Gazz' record to 4–3 for sixth place, officially locking its place in the quarterfinals.
The Angels now turn to a crucial matchup against the powerhouse PLDT High Speed Hitters on Thursday, November 20, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
With another big match incoming, Tolentino is hopeful that the former two-time Reinforced champs can continue showing their winning form.
“Hopefully sa mga crucial games, malabas talaga namin 'yung tini-training namin,” said Tolentino.
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Kiko Demigillo’s journey in sports storytelling began with a deep passion for games and athletes, which eventually grew into a full-fledged career.
Now a dedicated sportswriter, Kiko covers a wide range of beats for One Sports, including the PVL, UAAP, PBA, and various international tournaments.