Choco Mucho rally past Capital1, notches second win

Choco Mucho defeated Capital1 in four sets, 25-20, 26-24, 26-28, 25-9, to record its second consecutive victory in the 2024-25 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference on Thursday, November 21, at the FilOil EcoOil Arena in San Juan.

Choco Mucho launched an 8-1 blitz to start the fourth frame after an unsuccessful attempt to rally in the third set. Dindin Santiago-Manabat's cross-court kill would give the Flying Titans their largest advantage, 24-7.

Luth Malaluan's swift attack in the middle would then seal the victory.

Sisi Rondina scored a game-high 23 points overall, constructing on 17 attacks, four blocks, and two aces. Her performance also featured 12 excellent digs and nine excellent receptions.

“Somehow, we were still lucky today. It was really tough to secure this win because, in the second and third sets, we had to fight back from difficult situations,” said coach Dante Alinsunurin. “I just told my players to keep doing their work on the court.”

“Our floor defense, attacks, and blocking system improved,” he continued. “Even though we lost the third set, we dominated the fourth because our game plan finally clicked. We strengthened our serves, organized our blocking, and kept the momentum to take the fourth set.”

The Flying Titans improved to a 2-1 record with 12 markers from Royse Tubino, all but one of which came from attacks, and 11 points from Manabat off the bench. 

Thang Ponce played strong defense with 30 outstanding digs and 10 outstanding receptions while Mars Alba threw 16 outstanding sets.

Choco Mucho will face Cignal next Thursday, November 28, at the Philsports Arena.

Meanwhile, Leila Cruz top scored for the Solar Spikers with 16 points, followed by Jorelle Singh with 12 and Lourdes Clemente with 11 points. 

Capital1 looks to secure its first win against the PLDT High Speed Hitters on Tuesday, November 28.