From the brink to the Premier Volleyball League Invitational semis doorstep.
Choco Mucho squandered a 2-0 set lead but never lost its desire to win as the Flying Titans recovered and unleashed a scorching windup to pound out a riveting 25-22, 25-15, 22-25, 18-25, 15-10 victory over Petro Gazz and close in one of the two semis berths.
In a decider of changing fortunes, the Flying Titans came through with a big 7-2 closing run spiked by three gritty players not named Sisi Rondina as they claimed the morale-boosting victory before a boisterous conference-high 8,214 fans at the Philsports Arena in Pasig on Saturday night.
“I told them that we needed this (win) to get to the semis. Nag-deliver naman sila, and we were able to make the right adjustments during the game,” said Choco Mucho coach Dante Alinsunurin. “Sobrang thankful ako sa performance ng mga players, it’s a total team effort.”
With the win, the Flying Titans did not only stave off outright elimination following a heart-rending five-set defeat to the F2 Logistics Cargo Movers, but more so, they firmed up their semis drive as they forced a three-way tie for the lead at 3-1 with the idle F2 Logistics Cargo Movers and the Cignal HD Spikers heading to the final elims playdate on Tuesday.
Choco Mucho and Cignal will face off at 4 p.m. in a good-or-bust duel tipped to go down to the wire while F2 Logistics closes out its elims campaign against the ousted Foton side (1-3).
But the Tornadoes are expected to go all-out to stall the Cargo Movers while hoping to build confidence for the classification phase among the seventh to 11th-placed teams.
In contrast, Petro Gazz, which inched closer to the semis with a big five-set win over F2 Logistics, found itself on the edge instead with a closing 3-2 mark.
The Angels’ semis hopes now hinge on the Cargo Movers’ loss as this will set the stage for a three-way tie for second with the loser in the Choco Mucho-Cignal match.
The fight for the other Pool A semis seat also goes down to a virtual sudden death between PLDT and Chery Tiggo, which matched 2-1 (win-loss) slates.
Creamline stayed on track for a title repeat by sweeping the Pool A elims.
Rondina did spark the Flying Titans’ rally from 1-4 down in the fifth with three straight hits to force a tie at 5 aided by a Jonah Sabete service error and delivered the match-clinching spike off an off-the-block hit.
But from 8-all count, it was the troika of Des Cheng, Chery Nunag and Caitlin Viray, which provided the cushion with Nunag coming through with two key kills blocks off Remy Palma and Sabete that made it, 12-9.
The left-handed Viray likewise shone in the stretch with two clutch hits, the last giving Choco Mucho a 13-9 lead before Sabete scored on her own kill block on Viray to stall the Flying Titans.
But an Aiza Pontillas’ attack error put the Flying Titans at match point and, as if on cue, the high-flying Rondina took over to finish off the Angels while moving the team closer to a dream stint in the next round.
Nunag finished with four blocks on her way to a 13-point exploit as she bagged the Player of the Game honors, overshadowing another Rondina’s explosive outing of 29 points.
Viray and Cheng matched 12-point outputs while Maddie Madayag added nine hits, including an ace off Sabete’s faulty receive that pushed the Flying Titans to a 7-6 lead in the fifth. A Grethcel Soltones’ attack error gave Choco Mucho a two-point bubble but the Angels took the next two points on a Palma hit and a Nicole Tiamzon kill to force the last deadlock at 8.
Sabete came away with 16 points, while Soltones finished with 15 markers and Pontillas and Palma combined for 26 hits for the Angels, who, like the Flying Titans, also duked it out with the Cargo Movers in five, although unlike Choco Mucho, they emerged triumphant.
“Sabi ko lang, buhos tayo each set. Sabi nga ni Des (Cheng), we need to convert every chance to a point. So it’s all bout communication and teamwork, plus the eagerness to win,” said Rondina.
