Choco Mucho held off Savannah Davison in the decider to boot out PLDT in five sets, 25-15, 12-25, 25-23, 21-25, 15-13, in Game 2 of the quarterfinals of the 2024-25 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference, Thursday at the Philsports Arena.
Coming off a hard-fought, 20-25, 19-25, 25-15, 25-20, 18-16 reverse sweep of the High Speed Hitters last Saturday, the Flying Titans relied on Sisi Rondina and Mars Alba in the clutch to complete the series sweep and advance to the round robin semifinals.
Determined to even the series, PLDT fought back from a 1-2 deficit and held off Choco Mucho in the fourth set to force a decider — where Davison erupted for five points in a scorching 5-1 start that kept the Flying Titans on their heels.
Royse Tubino stopped the bleeding for Choco Mucho, but Davison then misfired on three consecutive attacks, fueling an 8-1 counterattack by the Rebisco-backed squad that turned the tide and gave them a 9-6 advantage.
The High Speed Hitters managed to keep in step with the Flying Titans, resulting in an 11-all deadlock.
However, Kim Fajardo committed a crucial service error, followed by an overreach violation on Kianna Dy, swinging the momentum back to Choco Mucho and giving them a 13-11 cushion.
Davison attempted to take matters into her own hands, hammering back-to-back attacks to knot the score at 13. But Alba, sliding to the wing, executed a perfectly timed cut shot, evading two PLDT blockers to bring the Flying Titans to match point.
(C) PVL Images
The pint-sized Rondina then soared high and drilled the game-clinching cross-court attack that sent Choco Mucho to its third consecutive semifinal appearance in the All-Filipino tilt.
“Syempre unang-una sa performance ng players ko, talagang hindi sila bumigay. Gusto talaga nilang makabalik sa semifinals. Sobrang thankful ako sa performance nila, pati sa mga coaches din kanina,” said Flying Titans head coach Dante Alinsunurin.
“Pinaguuusapan talaga namin kung ano pa ‘yung dapat naming gawin. Hanggang sa nakita namin pwede palang pumalo si Mars (Alba), although tini-training naman niya ‘yan, talaga pumapalo (siya). Sobrang crucial ng opensan niya na ‘yun kaya nakuha namin ‘yung game kasi gusto naming makabalik talaga sa semis,” he continue.
Rondina dropped a team-high 21 points on 18 attacks, two aces, and one block to go along with 18 excellent receptions, while Tubino backstopped her with 15 points on 13 attacks and two blocks on top of 13 excellent digs.
Alba, who came off the bench in Game 1, started in the series-clinching win and tossed 21 excellent sets to go along with seven big points for Choco Mucho.
Isa Molde contributed on both ends with eight points and 15 excellent digs, while middle blockers Cherry Nunag and Maika Ortiz chipped in seven points apiece. Thang Ponce took care of the floor defense with 18 excellent receptions.
The Flying Titans missed the services of Dindin Santiago-Manabat due to knee tightness.
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On the other hand, the High Speed Hitters missed out on the semifinals following a fourth-place campaign in the Reinforced Conference.
Davison registered a game-high 34 points, 33 of which came from attacks, to go along with 13 excellent receptions for PLDT, who committed a total of 31 errors in the match.
Majoy Baron had a stellar outing as well with 17 points on 13 attacks and four kill blocks, while Erika Santos added 13 points. Fiola Ceballos turned in an all-around effort of 11 points, 14 excellent digs, and 16 excellent receptions in a losing effort.
The High Speed Hitters will now turn their focus to the upcoming 2025 AVC Champions League.
