Choco Mucho looked out of sync early, struggling to find its bearing and rhythm against a determined Galeries Tower side. But once the Flying Titans found their groove, they poured it all out, turning a shaky start into a commanding finish to fashion out a 21-25, 25-17, 25-19, 25-15 victory in the PVL All Filipino Conference at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila late Tuesday night.
After dropping the opening set and weathering a late challenge, Choco Mucho rediscovered its offensive bite, tightened its floor defense and took control at the net, sweeping the next three sets to bounce back from a stinging five-set loss to Farm Fresh and strengthen its bid for one of the conference’s four coveted semifinal berths.
The one-hour, 45-minute victory lifted the Flying Titans to 3-1, keeping them firmly in the hunt behind unbeaten joint leaders Nxled and Creamline, which tote identical 3-0 slates. More importantly, it showed how dangerous Choco Mucho can be once its deep, star-studded lineup settles down and plays to its full potential.
Libero Dawn Catindig stole the spotlight from the likes of Sisi Rondina-Rosales, Eya Laure, Lorene Toring and Caitlin Viray, turning in 20 excellent digs and 11 receptions to earn Best Player of the Game honors.
Catindig credited the team’s discipline and commitment to its game plan for the bounce-back win following a tough loss.
“Coach (Dante Alinsunurin) just reminded us of our game plan and the strengths of our team,” she said.
“Dumikit lang kami sa game plan namin, at ginawa naming motivation yung last loss namin para makabawi. Thankfully, nagawa naman namin,” she added.
With Choco Mucho back in the hunt, Catindig stressed that the Flying Titans remained focused on taking things one game at a time, knowing that consistency and hard work will be crucial as the competition heats up.
“Every game, pinaghahandaan lang talaga namin at tinitingnan kung hanggang saan kami makakarating kapag ibinigay namin ang best namin. Hard work lang talaga, tapos balik ulit sa training,” said Catindig.
Laure delivered another stellar all-around performance with 18 points, nine digs and 11 receptions, while Rondina-Rosales and Viray chipped in 11 points apiece, and Toring and Maddie Madayag finished with 10 and seven points, respectively.
Alina Bicar orchestrated the Flying Titans’ offense with 17 excellent sets.
Galeries Tower, which drew 11 points from Aiza Pontillas, and 10, 9 and 8 markers from Jean Asis, Erika Deloria and Shola Alvarez, respectively, and 22 excellent sets from Lams Lamina, dropped to 0-4.
Powered by Laure, Rondina-Rosales and Viray, Choco Mucho dominated the attack department, 55-48, while also holding a slim 7-5 edge in blocks.
The Flying Titans also capitalized on Galeries Tower’s costly miscues, converting the Highrisers’ 32 errors into a decisive advantage while giving away just 20 points on their own errors.
The Flying Titans had opened their campaign with two straight victories before their momentum was halted by the Foxies, who rallied from a 0-2 set deficit to pull off a narrow 15-13 win in the deciding frame. Against Galeries Tower, Choco Mucho again had to overcome an early setback – but this time, it responded with authority.
The Highrisers came out firing, racing to an 8-4 lead in the opening set and dictating the pace behind their aggressive attack. Choco Mucho struggled to establish its usual rhythm and trailed by as many as seven points at 12-19 before mounting a late rally that threatened to turn the tide.
The Flying Titans closed the gap to 21-23, but the Highrisers held their nerve in the crucial exchanges. Aiza Pontillas caught the defense off guard with a drop ball before Roselle Baliton turned back Sisi Rondina-Rosales at the net, sealing the set and giving the Highrisers a deserved early edge.
That, however, proved to be the wake-up call Choco Mucho needed.
Finding their offensive flow and playing with renewed urgency, the Flying Titans came out a different team in the second set, dictating the tempo from the opening serve and unleashing the firepower that had been missing in the early going.
With Rondina-Rosales leading the charge and the rest of the lineup finding its touch, Choco Mucho raced to a commanding 20-11 advantage. Galeries Tower managed three straight points to trim the deficit, but its bid to build momentum was derailed by three costly service errors that blunted its rally.
The Flying Titans made the Highrisers pay, wrapping up the commanding eight-point set victory on a trademark Rondina-Rosales blast to level the match and seize control of the contest.
From there, Choco Mucho played with greater confidence and cohesion. Although mid-set miscues briefly threatened to disrupt its momentum in the third, the Flying Titans quickly settled down, leaned on their offensive depth, led by Viray, and pounced on the Highrisers’ erratic finish to move ahead, two sets to one, with a six-point victory.
With the match firmly within reach, Choco Mucho bucked a fierce fourth-set challenge from Galeries Tower before capitalizing on its momentum behind Toring, whose solid blocking and quick attacks fueled a decisive 7-0 run, propelling the Flying Titans to a commanding 18-9 lead.
It was cruise control for the Flying Titans from there, with Laure, Viray and Maddie Madayag combining to deliver the finishing blows, while the Highrisers’ erratic play down the stretch helped seal the victory.
