Choco Mucho finishes sixth in AVC Clubs

Choco Mucho finished the 2021 Asian Women's Club Volleyball Championship in sixth place after a 14-25, 11-25, 23-25 defeat at the hands of Kazakh club Zhetysu, Thursday afternoon at Terminal 21 Hall in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.

Open spiker Valeriya Shatunova and 20-year-old opposite spiker Tatyana Nikitina took turns in putting down powerful attacks for the fifth-placers.

The 6-foot-2 Shatunova produced a game-high 13 points, while the 6-foot Nikitina had nine points.

Setter Natalya Akilova also netted seven points, five of them from block kills.

Kalei Mau was the leader of the Filipinas anew with 12 points, but she lacked reinforcements this time, unlike yesterday where there are three others who breached double figures.

Middle blockers Ria Meneses of Petro Gazz and Dell Palomata of Sta. Lucia finished with six and five points, respectively.

It also did not help Choco Mucho's cause that they committed a set-worth of errors with 28.

Just when Zhetysu appeared to cruise to the win in the third set, 22-15, Choco Mucho made four consecutive points to inch within three, 19-22.

A service error by Gel Cayuna gave the Kazakhs a 23-19 lead, but Ria Meneses and Mau joined hands for a 4-0 run to tie the game at 23.

However, a quick kill by Valeriya Chumak and an attack error from Mau ultimately gave the win to Zhetysu.

Three straight points from the Filipinas closed the gap in the second frame to just two, 8-10, but it was all Zhetysu after that.

The Kazakhs went on a 15-3 closing blast, punctuated with nine unanswered points to move on the verge of a sweep, 25-11.

Already leading by two in the first salvo, Zhetysu took its play up a notch more, ending with a 15-6 run to take the early 1-0 lead.

Rebisco, the other Philippine club in the tournament, ended last in the seven-team field.