Kat Tolentino took the bulk of the offense once again, towing the Choco Mucho Flying Titans over the battle-tested PacificTown–Army Lady Troopers, 25-20, 17-25, 21-25, 25-11, 15-8, in the 2019 PVL Open Conference, Sunday at the FilOil Flying V Centre.
Tolentino exploded for a game-high 24 points built on 22 attacks. The 6-foot-3 winger out of Ateneo nailed the lethal blow in the decisive fifth set that completed Choco Mucho’s comeback from a one-set deficit en route to an improved 5-6 card.
“Ito yung… Mga games na ganito yung kailangan namin, yung mga ganitong pitpitan [na] we’re down, for us to mature right away,” said Choco Mucho head coach Oliver Almadro.
The Flying Titans also exacted vengeance against the Lady Troopers, who previously grounded them in their first round tussle.
“Noong first round, lahat ng five sets namin, kami yung medyo nadehado, kami yung nasa wrong end eh. But now, sana, yung mga five sets ngayon — o kung hindi man — gusto lang naman na maging positive for us,” he added.
Maddie Madayag carried some of the scoring load. She fired 14 markers from 10 attacks, two kill blocks and a pair of service aces for the Flying Titans, who soared to their third straight victory.
Shang Berte chimed in seven points, while Shannen Palec and Kim Gequillana supplied five markers each. Bea De Leon, who only saw action in the third frame, finished scoreless.
Choco Mucho setter Acy Masangkay generated the offense to the tune of 22 excellent sets. Defensive specialist Bang Pineda had 22 excellent digs and 13 excellent receptions.
“I gave that to my players because they’re really working hard. It’s really hard to cope up with the system with one month, two months. And we’ve been practicing hard,” Almadro added. “Luckily, nakakasunod na. May mga times pa rin na, of course, bumabalik pa rin sa mga default fundamentals. But what I admire my players is they really work hard.”
Aside from Choco Mucho’s collective effort, the match also came down to who limited their errors the most.
Despite squandering 22 miscues in the frantic affair, the Flying Titans were still the more efficient team, as the Lady Troopers dug their own grave with 42 errors in total.
Honey Royse Tubino topped the PacificTown–Army with 16 points, to go along with 11 excellent receptions. Jovelyn Gonzaga poured in a double-double of 15 markers and 17 excellent digs to no avail, as the Lady Troopers fell to 6-5.
Jem Guttierez chipped in 11 points, while Ging Balse-Pabayo and Lut Malaluan added eight markers apiece. PacificTown-Army playmaker Alina Bicar delivered 17 excellent sets for the Lady Troopers, who couldn’t close out the game in the fourth and fifth frames despite a commanding 2-1 buffer after the third set.
Choco Mucho will try to stretch their streak to four when they face Motolite on Wednesday FilOil Flying V Centre. On the other hand, PacificTown–Army square off against the Petro Gazz Angels on Saturday Iloilo City.
