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Now with the Nxled Chameleons, Brooke Van Sickle is primed for a bigger role on and off the court.
The last time Brooke Van Sickle was named captain, she was still a senior at the University of Hawaii back in 2021.
Five years later, Brooke is back in a familiar position. Now a seasoned professional in the Philippines, the ace hitter has been tasked with leading the Nxled Chameleons in the 2026 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference — a challenge that she accepts with open arms.
“It’s definitely taking some time to get used to, but it’s been very, very good,” Brooke told The GAME in an exclusive interview. “It’s my first time here [in the PVL], but I’ve had experiences back in college in the States, and here, it’s a little bit different.”
For Brooke, the appointment comes at a perfect time, as joining Nxled also serves as a fresh start in her Philippine volleyball career. Unlike her debut with the Petro Gazz Angels in 2024, Brooke joins the Chameleons as a battle-tested veteran, backed up by two PVL titles and three league MVP awards.
While the Nxled captaincy pushes Brooke out of her comfort zone, Brooke enters the role armed with lessons from her Petro Gazz days, and multiple veterans to lean on as co-captains.
“I had good teachers like Remy Palma, and I was able to learn from and see how she took care of Petro Gazz and she did a fantastic job. So I think I had a really good mentor in a sense,” Brooke says.
“My teammates also have my back and I have theirs; So there’s a lot of adjustment periods, but I think everyone in a sense is their own leader. I have Chiara [Permentilla], so she will definitely help and we tag-team it.
“I also have Aby Maraño and she has a lot of experience, and I have a lot of veteran players that just have been in the league for so long to lean on and help. So it’s definitely a team effort and I’m just excited to see how it goes.”
Brooke, along with much of Petro Gazz’s core, signed with Nxled over the PVL offseason, immediately turning the Chameleons into a title contender. Although it was unfortunate to see Petro Gazz go, Brooke is just grateful to find a new home with the Chameleons.
“Petro has been in the PVL for so long, and it was kind of a shock to all of us, but we’re super grateful that Nxled welcomed us with open arms and gave us new homes. So it’s been going very well; the environment’s good, management, ownership, everyone’s super awesome.”
Familiarity was key to Brooke’s decision, thanks to the longstanding relationship between Petro Gazz and Nxled’s owners, along with their shared practice venue over in San Juan. Given this, everything just felt natural once Brooke did ink her contract earlier in January.
Save for Chie Saet and Remy Palma, Nxled also did their part in keeping Petro Gazz’s core intact, even if players had already begun talks with other teams, according to Brooke.
“We were doing something great with Petro and we’re like ‘okay, well, why don’t we just stick together? ’ And Nxled made it happen; they reached out to all of us and gave us a new home,” shared Brooke.
“It wasn’t everyone, but we all had different conversations with different owners, but everyone just felt best to stick together and still have our family…so that helped a lot, because without Nxled, I don’t know if another team would have been open-minded to keeping so many players because we added [14 players].”
Still, Brooke Van Sickle knows that her PVL journey wouldn’t have been possible without Petro Gazz.
One final farewell
It was in the 2024 All-Filipino Conference when Brooke Van Sickle made her debut in the PVL after being connected by University of Oregon teammate Lindsey Vander Weide. That alone was a dream come true for Brooke, who became inspired to play in the Philippines during her days in Hawaii.
“I’m super grateful for them and everything they’ve done. Like they, again, took a chance, brought me here, made my dreams come true. And I mean, there’s just so many memories,” Brooke said about Petro Gazz.
With Petro Gazz, Brooke established herself as one of the PVL’s most feared hitters, mixing her natural athleticism with a solid two-way game. Being an Angel also allowed her to experience the reality of professional sports — from a podium in the 2024 All-Filipino Conference, to an injury-riddled run in the 2024 Reinforced Conference.
What turned out to be Petro Gazz’s last dance in 2025 was a memorable one. In April, they dethroned long-time rivals Creamline Cool Smashers for a breakthrough All-Filipino crown, which was followed by their stint in the AVC Champions League held on home soil.
“[The 2024-25] All-Filipino Conference was probably my most memorable moment because that was Petro Gazz’s first All-Filipino title. And I mean, any game against Creamline is always epic…I’m not the person to go like ‘Oh, rivalry, rivalry’, but it was fun to have those games a little bit more hyped up because it’s just good intense volleyball,” said Brooke.
“Another memory too was being able to play in the AVC against super talented teams, and it was super awesome to watch the Philippine teams really give it a battle…and just being able to stay at the Novotel with all the teams and just you know? We’re not up against each other, because we were with each other.”
By October, Brooke’s parents were tapped to coach Petro Gazz, while Vander Weide was signed as their import for the 2025 Reinforced Conference. The Angels went on to rule the import-laden tourney, overcoming a flat start to find their groove when their stakes at their highest.
While it went down as Petro Gazz’s final conference, that title run cemented them as the winningest team in import-laden play, and capped off a golden year for the Angels.
“So that was the first time I’ve ever cried after winning anything, because I was super happy that we won. But also in a sense that with Lindsay as well, we were like ‘Oh my God, we did it!’. It felt like a weight lifted off our shoulders,” Brooke said of their Reinforced Conference run.
“Because there’s like, just a lot of stress. But like, that’s, that’s the name of the game, you know? And I feel like for me, just having my parents there made it a little bit more stressful, personally, for me, because I wanted to win for them. I didn’t want them to come here [empty-handed] with everyone kind of questioning them.”
Along with the chance to play in the PVL, Brooke says that Petro Gazz gave her a “home” in the Philippines, as it was here that she formed lifelong bonds on and off the court, while being closer to her Filipina roots in Ilocos Sur.
“I’m one of those people who don’t really consider home as a place. I consider home like where my people are, so that’s my friends, my family, my support system. So especially with my family coming and coaching here too, that really solidified it for me that [the Philippines] is sure my home,” Brooke says.
Setting the tone
As she begins her new chapter with Nxled, Brooke Van Sickle is now eager to build a “never say die” culture with the Chameleons, which is also inspired by her last flight with Petro Gazz.
“Petro in the [2025] Reinforced Conference wasn’t doing great. No one thought that it would turn out the way that it did,” Brooke said. “So you just can’t count yourself out until the last game, last whistle, it should always be 100 percent effort and staying positive.”
“Now that I’m team captain, I really want to establish a really good culture within the team,” Brooke continued. “I want us to be able to open up to each other, to be able to lean on each other in tough moments, and you know? Have that family presence within the team.”
While there are added expectations for her and Nxled, Brooke says that they are focusing on what they could control inside the court. At the end of the day, it’s a matter of taking things in stride, and taking no shortcuts in chasing their championship aspirations.
Still, it will be easier said than done for Brooke Van Sickle and Nxled, as rival teams have also retooled over the offseason. For instance, Capital1 has added scoring punch alongside Bella Belen, while Strong Group has equipped Farm Fresh and ZUS Coffee with quality veterans.
Bernadeth Pons and Jia de Guzman are also returning to Creamline for the All-Filipino Conference, along with a new addition in Jen Nierva. Choco Mucho, meanwhile, is now led by the fierce tandem of Sisi Rondina and Eya Laure.
“It’s exciting, and I’m really happy that all these players are coming back from injury,” said Brooke.
“I want to play good volleyball and I want to be able to play against the best competition possible. Like, it just makes it fun. Win or lose, it’s just good to play against all these high level volleyball players.”
Knowing the challenge that lies ahead, Brooke knows that nothing less than 100 percent will be required from her and Nxled.
“Just to still have that gritty mentality where nothing’s over until it’s done…obviously everyone wants to win the championship. I want to win the championship and it’s easier said than done,” she said.
In jest, Brooke concludes, “So it’s going to take a lot of sweat and tears. Hopefully just sweat, but we’ll see!”
Banner images courtesy of the Premier Volleyball League.