Choco Mucho overcomes Cignal in four sets despite missing import

Despite missing their import Anyse Smith, the Choco Mucho Flying Titans showed remarkable poise and resilience to outlast the Cignal HD Spikers in four sets, 23-25, 25-19, 25-16, 27-25, in their 2025 PVL Reinforced Conference debut on Monday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Relying solely on their all-Filipino lineup, the Flying Titans leaned on captain Des Cheng’s leadership and the dominant presence of Maddie Madayag and Isa Molde to secure their first victory in Pool A of the tournament organized by Sports Vision.

Madayag delivered a commanding performance, leading all scorers with 18 points on 11 attacks, six blocks, and a decisive ace that sealed the match. Molde complemented her with 17 points and 13 excellent digs, while Cheng and Kat Tolentino added 14 and 10 markers, respectively.

“I just did my job and focused on what I needed to do,” said Madayag. “We struggled a bit with ball control at first, but we managed to fix it until the end. Credit really goes to teamwork.”

Choco Mucho, whose initial win over Capital1 was nullified last week due to the absence of imports from both teams, again faced the same challenge as Smith’s International Transfer Certificate (ITC) remained pending. Still, the Flying Titans proved their depth and chemistry were enough to prevail.

Cignal tried to force a fifth set behind Vanie Gandler and Rose Doria-Aquino, rallying late to lead 23-21 in the fourth frame. But the Titans refused to buckle, with Royse Tubino, Madayag, and Dindin Santiago-Manabat trading clutch plays to keep their composure in a tense finish. Madayag’s service ace ultimately punctuated the thrilling win.

Head coach Dante Alinsunurin lauded his team’s collective effort.
“Our mindset was simply to help each other no matter what challenges we faced. You could see it in our defense and offense—everyone contributed, and that’s why we got the win,” said Alinsunurin.

Libero Thang Ponce anchored the floor defense with 32 excellent digs and 20 receptions, while setter Deanna Wong tallied 25 excellent sets to orchestrate the offense.

Choco Mucho will face defending PVL on Tour and Invitational champion PLDT on Thursday at 6:30 p.m., still at the Big Dome.

Meanwhile, the Super Spikers struggled with consistency, committing 28 errors throughout the match. 

Gandler finished with 15 points and 12 digs, while import Eva Chantava was limited to just 10 points on a 9-of-39 attacking clip. Heather Guino-o and Erin Pangilinan chipped in nine and eight points, respectively, for Cignal.