MANILA, Philippines — Jonah Sabete and MJ Phillips may have brought back the fire in Petro Gazz in the fifth set, but it was Remy Palma who made the Angels get their act together to deny Creamline’s comeback in Game 1 of the 2024-25 PVL All-Filipino Conference Finals.

After blowing a two-set lead, Sabete and Phillips came to the rescue in the fifth, drilling the big blows to survive Creamline, 25-17, 25-20, 18-25, 20-25, 15-10, on Tuesday night at Smart Araneta Coliseum to inch closer to a breakthrough All-Filipino title.

Sabete, who scored 16 points to backstop Brooke Van Sickle and Phillips, said Palma’s motivational words helped them regroup in the deciding set.

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“Honestly, Rem was a huge help. She really lifted us up. Our defense and passing weren’t working, but Rem was always there, and I saw her bringing the team up,” said Sabete in Filipino. “I didn’t want to fall behind. I didn’t want to watch everyone else. I wanted to get back on track, too. I just listened to Rem, and that was the first step — focus on one person at a time.”

Palma came off the bench in the last two sets, but she was huddling her team every timeout, lifting their morale and keeping them composed against the more experienced Cool Smashers.

“It’s really important because it boosts everyone’s confidence. We just did our jobs as individuals and then connected with each other. It was a team effort. When we see Rem and MJ reaching out, it motivates us. It helps us get back to what each of us wants to achieve,” said Sabete.

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In their huge semifinal win over Creamline two weeks ago, Petro Gazz coach Koji Tsuzurabara said Palma was the real hero.

After staving off Creamline in the opener, Sabete wants her team to forget about their championship opener victory, shifting their focus to Game 2 and still taking things step by step when they try to close out the series on Thursday.

“We know Creamline and what kind of team they are. When they lose, they get even more aggressive. But what we’re thinking now is that it’s one point every game. We’re taking it one point at a time because we are a challenger,” she said.

“We’ll just play like there’s no tomorrow. That’s what we’re thinking. We’re not thinking about what’s next. We’re focused on the present.”