Lindsey Vander Weide battled through a painful early-match ankle injury to return and help power Petro Gazz past Creamline in their 2025 PVL Reinforced quarterfinal showdown.
Petro Gazz seemed destined for a painful chapter against longtime rival Creamline in the 2025 PVL Reinforced Conference quarterfinals.
Just minutes into their knockout duel against the defending champion Cool Smashers, Angels import Lindsey Vander Weide crashed to the floor after an awkward landing in the opening set.
She immediately grabbed her right ankle, wincing in pain as teammates and medical staff rushed to her side.
Moments later, Vander Weide was being wheeled off the court, fighting tears and fearing that her postseason might have ended before it even truly began.
Inside the tunnel, Vander Weide admitted that the emotions hit her harder than the pain of her foot.
“I was not feeling great at all. I saw the ankle swelling immediately, and I thought I wasn’t going to be able to come back,” Vander Weide recalled to One Sports. “I mean, this is the most important time of the season.”
How Lindsey returned to action
But the Petro Gazz medical staff sprang into action. Treatment began instantly, and within minutes, the champion import felt a glimmer of hope.
“My PT got me right," Vander Weide said. "Once the swelling went down a little, I could put my full weight on it. I knew if I could move, I could at least play.”
Unable to return right away, Vander Weide watched the match from the locker room as Petro Gazz surged to a stunning 2–0 lead behind Myla Pablo, who put up 26 points in the win.
“We were screaming in the locker room. We were so locked in,” she said.
“I knew we could do it. Myla’s a dog. She was with me when we won in 2022, so I knew she would step up.”
Two-time PVL Reinforced champion?
Vander Weide made her way back to the Petro Gazz bench late in the second set, eventually stepping back onto the court in the decisive fourth frame.
Lindsey Vander Weide returned to Petro Gazz's bench late in the second set after her right ankle injury. | Photo: PVL
Her presence alone was enough to steady the Angels as they closed out a 25-23, 25-19, 16-25, 25-14 victory, ending the Cool Smashers’ championship reign and 19 straight podium finishes.
With the win, Petro Gazz also moved just two wins away from reclaiming the very title Vander Weide helped deliver in 2022.
“Back in 2022, I think it was like best of three, so it was a long postseason. This is really quick, so the fact that we're two games away from a championship and we're playing in such a way that feels so good, I feel like we're rising right now,” she said.
“It's just a really exciting feeling, and I want to do it with this team again, for sure.”
Next up for the Angels will be the Akari Chargers in the semifinals on Thursday, November 27, still at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
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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.