For Maddie Madayag, Choco Mucho simply lacked enough personnel to combat Creamline’s deep rotation in Game 1 of the Premier Volleyball League Second All-Filipino Conference finals on Thursday night.
The Flying Titans put up a brave stand but it was not enough as the Cool Smashers showcased their championship poise – a product of their 10 finals appearances in the league – en route to a 25-23, 19-25, 26-24, 25-22 win at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
“Honestly, siguro for me kapos lang kami ng tao. Kaya naman labanan si Creamline but ayun nga, meron silang options eh. If hindi effective yung isang spiker nila, merong papalit for them,” said Madayag, who delivered a game-high 18 points on 11 attacks and seven blocks.
Creamline drew 11 points from Michele Gumabao off the bench while the pair of Bernadeth Pons, who had three points, and Mafe Galanza also provided the much-needed bench support for the defending champions.
Meanwhile, Choco Mucho only managed to get three points off the bench, which all came from Regine Arocha, who replaced Isa Molde and started the last two frames of the four-set encounter.
With the Cool Smashers a win away from securing their seventh overall title, it’s now back to the drawing board for Madayag and the rest of Choco Mucho as they try to prevent that from happening and extend the series.
“Kami kulang pa kami ng tao but we’re happy, not really happy, but I’m proud of what of my teammates showed naman inside the court. Yun nga lang, against a veteran team na sabi nila matagal na nga sila sa taas ‘no. Challengers lang kami so ayun,” said the former Ateneo star.
“Marami naman kaming natutunan sa game na yun but sabi ng coaches namin back to the drawing board muna kami and ayun, prepare for Saturday’s game.”
