Choco Mucho re-asserted its might in the third set, overcame a wobbly start in the fourth then fought off two set points to annex a 25-21, 22-25, 25-20, 26-24 win over F2 Logistics and join PLDT at fifth in the 2022 Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference, Thursday at Philsports Arena.
The Flying Titans seized control after a fiery exchange of kills and digs midway through the pivotal set to break a 1-1 set tie but needed to scramble late in the fourth to frustrate the Cargo Movers, who were all set for extension as Kalei Mau pounded Choco Mucho’s defense with her vicious kills to keep F2 Logistics in command by two in the stretch.
But the Flying Titans never cracked, coming through with counter-attacks to force a tie at 24 and 25 then cashed in on Iris Tolenada’s costly net violation to snatch the lead and clinch the win on a block off F2 import Lindsay Stalzer to the delight of their fans at the pack Pasig arena.
It was a big bounce-back win indeed for the Flying Titans, who dropped a straight-set setback to the defending champion Petro Gazz Angels last Tuesday, while dealing the Cargo Movers their second straight defeat following a loss to the Chery Tiggo Crossovers, also via three sets, the other day.
Choco Mucho’s Odina Aliyeva outhit Stalzer, 27-26, while Kat Tolentino and Bea de Leon matched 11-point outputs to neutralize Mau’s 15-point explosion in a tightly-fought encounter between two of the league’s popular teams.
Desiree Cheng finished with seven points while Isa Molde and Cherry Nunag each scored six points for the Flying Titans while Kim Dy and Ivy Lacsina fired eight hits apiece for the Cargo Movers, who also drew seven points from Aby Maraño and six from Kim Fajardo.
