Emotions ran high for team captain Maddie Madayag as Choco Mucho once again failed to overcome the hurdle, suffering a second-straight defeat to sister team Creamline in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference Finals.
The Flying Titans had every opportunity to push the series to a decider after securing a 2-1 set advantage.
However, they couldn’t capitalize, enduring a heartbreaking five-set loss to the Cool Smashers, 25-20, 20-25, 25-22, 22-25, 11-15 in Game 2 on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“Naiyak lang din ako kasi masakit na masakit talaga. Kung na-extend pa namin yung series, lalaban talaga kami at lalaban para makuha yung championship,” said a teary-eyed Madayag.
“Siyempre kasi ang sarap sa feeling siguro na nanalo kami kahit na wala yung ibang teammates namin, parang redemption din for them in a way,” she continued.
“Ayun lang, sabi ko sa kanila, ‘wag tayo malungkot, kailangan nating tanggapin kasi ito yung binigay ni Lord sa atin. Di man tayo umabot sa goal na gusto natin… I believe that in God’s perfect time makukuha rin namin.”
It has been a challenging journey for Choco Mucho, as they lost the services of Aduke Ogunsanya early in the season due to an ACL injury. Then Kat Tolentino went down during the latter part of the elimination round due to an auditory condition.
The team also began the season-opening conference without Des Cheng, who is still recovering from an ACL tear she sustained in the previous conference.
But despite these setbacks, the Flying Titans managed to reach back-to-back finals through the consistent performance of Sisi Rondina, Madayag, Thang Ponce, Chery Nunag.
They also saw the emergence of Royse Tubino and Isa Molde, who both stepped up in place of Tolentino and Cheng.
For that, the newly-crowned Best Middle Blocker couldn’t feel prouder of her squad, who swept the semifinals before losing to Creamline in the finale.
“I’m still very proud of the team, lalo na ang daming nabawasan sa amin no. So sabi nga nung coaches, lalo na nung nawala si Kat, parang they didn’t expect us to sweep the semis, kasi we’re down three people already,” said Madayag.
“Pero yun nga, I always say basta may nahuhulog na teammate, palaging may nagse-step up para bawian. I’m very happy with the run kahit na kinapos na naman kami. Sobrang proud pa rin ako sa naging performance ng team.”
Despite the challenges faced during this conference, Madayag couldn’t help but feel excited about what lies ahead for Choco Mucho.
“I’m very excited lalo na pag pabalik na yung teammates namin. Hopefully, kaya na nila, by the end of this year. I’m not sure about the timeline. Sobrang excited lang din ako for them to return.”
