Petro Gazz Angels star Brooke Van Sickle in the AVC Champions League quarterfinals. -MARLO CEUTO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—Despite the tall task of facing powerhouse BAIC Motor Volleyball Club-China, Petro Gazz star Brooke Van Sickle savored the opportunity to go up against some of Asia’s best— and tallest–players.

Van Sickle felt the Chinese-based squad’s wrath in the quarterfinals of the AVC Champions League on Friday as the the Angels fell short in a highly-competitive  29-31, 25-19, 25-20, 20-25, 12-15.

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Still, the 27-year-old spiker remained upbeat, even finding humor in the mismatch.

“Being not so tall, I assumed they were the Great Wall of China today,” said Van Sickle, still cracking jokes despite the five-setter loss.

“I figured I’ll just try my best in hitting while staying aggressive… There was a lot of grit and I felt that from everyone, I felt everyone was getting tips and taking balls.”

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Van Sickle than held her own against BAIC Motor’s towering lineup, finishing with 17 points built on 12 attacks, three aces, and two blocks.

Despite the loss, the Angels’ gallant stand — especially on the defensive end— was something Van Sickle took pride in.

“I thought defensive-wise, this is probably one of our better games. It was a good fight and it was awesome to come out as a team and stick together to push against some of the top classes in the world,” she said.

“Just to be able to go five-sets with them is super unreal so I’m just very happy with everyone’s fight.”