Despite falling short in their first-ever finals appearance, Choco Mucho team captain Maddie Madayag is just glad that things are finally falling into place for the Flying Titans.
Choco Mucho had spent the better part of the past year at the bottom half of the Premier Volleyball League standings.
Following four consecutive seventh-place finishes, the team finally broke through in the Second All-Filipino Conference.
They made the finals for the first time in franchise history after beating Cignal in a tight best-of-three semifinals series.
Unfortunately, though, the Flying Titans failed to measure up against sister squad and defending champion Creamline, who swept the finale after overcoming tough challenges from Choco Mucho in Games 1 and 2.
“Sobrang ganda and nakikita naman talaga na nilaban ng team. Ayun nga lang, tinapos lang talaga, but at least we know where we are now ‘di ba,” said Madayag following the Flying Titan’s Game 2 loss against the Cool Smashers last Saturday.
“May term na malayo pa, pero malayo na.
“Marami pang kailangan ayusin pero malayo na compared to how we started this year,” she added, as Choco Mucho failed to make it to the playoffs in the first two conferences of the 2023 season.
The Second All-Filipino Conference has been one of the best – if not the best – campaigns in Choco Mucho’s five-year history in the country’s only professional volleyball league.
After losing their opening game of the elimination round against Creamline, the Flying Titans went on a red-hot 10-0 winning streak heading into the semifinals.
There, they lost Game 1 to the HD Spikers before coming back in style in the next two to seal their first-ever podium finish in franchise history.
Madayag said that Choco Mucho’s performance in the season-ending conference is a statement to the rest of the PVL that the Flying Titans have finally arrived and they’re here to stay.
“Very grateful lang kami na at least everything is coming together and nakikita mo na talaga na iba na yung galaw ng Choco Mucho kung paano yung last game namin this year, it’s a statement to all the teams na di kami basta basta lang,” said Madayag.
“I guess siguro we’re one of the teams to beat na coming into the next conference pero ayon it doesn’t stop there naman patulong lang kami and ayun.”
