After two weeks of searching for answers, Choco Mucho has finally found its rhythm.
The Flying Titans, once mired in a three-game slide, now look like a team reborn. On Tuesday, they erased a six-point fourth-set deficit and stormed to a 27-25, 28-26, 16-25, 25-19 victory over a skidding Nxled side in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference at the FilOil Playtime Centre.
What once seemed like a season threatening to unravel has suddenly steadied for Choco Mucho. The win was its second straight, evening its record at 3-3 and thrusting the Flying Titans back into the thick of a tightly contested semifinal race.
In stark contrast, Nxled’s early-tournament promise continues to dim.
After sweeping their first three matches following a major revamp built around the core of the four-time champion Petro Gazz Angels, the Chameleons have now dropped three straight. The slide has cast doubt on whether Nxled can truly contend for a championship after such a blazing start.
At the heart of Choco Mucho’s resurgence was Sisi Rondina.
Known primarily for her explosive scoring, Rondina delivered a complete performance in their two-hour, one-minute triumph – 24 points anchored by 20 excellent receptions and eight digs – to claim Best Player of the Game honors.
“Nag-stick kami sa set plays namin at pinaka-importante talaga coming here, mindset ko talaga na kailangan may receive ako sa larong ito. So I think nakatulong,” said Rondina, emphasizing her defensive focus.
But when the fourth set demanded a spark, it was Eya Laure who ignited the fire.
With Choco Mucho trailing 9-15 after Nxled’s dominant third-set showing, Laure seized control. She tied the count at 17, shattered with an off-the-block hit, then unloaded four straight points in a breathtaking display of power that turned a tight contest into a commanding advantage.
Laure finished with 13 points in her second game after missing time due to an abdominal strain suffered against Creamline. Her offensive barrage left Nxled scrambling and ultimately overwhelmed.
By the time Chiara Permentilla halted the bleeding at 18-23, the momentum had fully swung. An MJ Phillips service error pushed the Flying Titans to match point, and fittingly, Rondina delivered the coup de grace to seal the comeback.
The victory was hardly a two-woman show.
Kat Tolentino fueled their fourth set rally with three consecutive hits – including a block on Brooke Van Sickle – slicing the deficit from 9-15 to 12-15. Lorraine Pecaña’s putaway off an overpass tied the set at 15, and a Permentilla backrow miscue completed a stirring 7-0 run that propelled Choco Mucho to 16-15.
Nxled briefly regained its footing, even taking a 17-16 lead on a Lyann de Guzman block on Laure. But Laure answered immediately, tying the score before unleashing the scoring spree that ultimately crushed the Chameleons’ resistance.
Tolentino finished with 15 points while Pecaña and Des Cheng added eight and seven, respectively, as Choco Mucho edged Nxled in attacks, 57-54, and blocks, 11-8.
Van Sickle recovered from a slow start to fire 20 points, while MJ Phillips came up with 13 markers and Jonah Sabete-Escamillan scored nine points in the first two sets but did not return as Permentilla and De Guzman were tapped to fuel the Chameleons’ third-set fightback.
Permentilla and De Guzman finished with identical six markers, while Ranya Musa and Djanel Cheng added four points apiece.
Nxled appeared poised to force a decider after a strong opening in the fourth. But just as quickly as hope surged, composure slipped away. The Chameleons unraveled under Choco Mucho’s relentless stretch-run assault, with Laure spearheading the decisive turnaround that extinguished any shot at a fifth set.
“Kailangan pang magtrabaho,” Rondina said when asked if their back-to-back wins could fuel a semis push.
For Choco Mucho, the fire is back.
For Nxled, the questions are only growing louder.
