Choco Mucho showed grace under pressure, battling back from 1-2 set down and out-dueling a game Farm Fresh side in the decider to salvage a 25-15, 24-26, 21-25, 25-21, 15-12 decision at the Philsports Arena in Pasig on Tuesday night.
Despite facing a determined opponent, Choco Mucho leaned on its experience and composure to stage a remarkable comeback after dropping the second and third sets with Sisi Rondina delivering clutch plays, including stinging strikes in the fourth set and back-to-back hits from the backrow in the decider that left the Foxies frustrated.
Farm Fresh, fueled by Trisha Tubu’s career-best 32-point performance, fought valiantly, saving two match points and forcing Choco Mucho to dig deep for the win. However, Rondina’s decisive blasts sealed the victory for the Flying Titans after a grueling two hours and 19 minutes of intense action.
Although Choco Mucho faced challenges, particularly in the continued absence of Kat Tolentino, the team showcased its strength and determination in crucial moments with Rondina leading the charge with 29 points and stellar defensive plays.
Royse Tubino, Isa Molde and Cherry Nunag also contributed significantly to the team’s victory.
Choco Mucho thus bounced back from a shutout loss to Creamline last Thursday to close out its prelims campaign with a 9-2 record.
Farm Fresh, however, exposed some chinks in Choco Mucho’s armor by taking the pivotal third set although the Flying Titans got going when the going got tougher, breaking away from a tight fourth-set skirmish and fending off the Foxies' late charge behind Rondina’s thundering hits she laced with a block off Rizza Cruz.
Rondina also came up with 18 excellent receptions, while Tubino delivered 16 markers and Molde and Nunag came away with 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Kate Santiago backed Tubu’s huge output with 21 points, personally keeping the team in the hunt with her string of off-the-block hits late in the fifth, while Cruz added 12 points and Arroyo finished with nine markers for the Foxies, who ended their stint with a 3-8 record.
With Tubu’s stellar play, Farm Fresh beat Choco Mucho in attacks, 74-66, but the Flying Titans controlled the middle, producing 13 blocks compared to the Foxies’ six.
