Marlee Smith was the lone bright spot for Choco Mucho in their straight-sets loss to PLDT on Thursday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Making her debut for the Flying Titans in the 2025 PVL Reinforced Conference, the American wing spiker poured in 20 points.
Support was limited, though, with the next highest scorer contributing just four points.
Despite the defeat, Smith remains focused on improving in the coming games, as PLDT still dominated the match, 25-21, 25-20, 25-19.
“I was aiming higher, but I didn’t even realize I scored 20 points. For me to have an off game and still reach 20, that made me happy. I definitely expected a little more from myself,” said Smith.
“I’m satisfied because, like I said, I get to learn. Everything will be alright. We have training and another game on Tuesday. I think next Tuesday will be much better for me,” she added.
Smith’s debut was delayed earlier in the tournament due to an international transfer certificate issue. She was supposed to play last Monday against Cignal, but was held off again as her paperwork was still being finalized.
(C) PVL Images
Even with her scoring outburst, Smith admitted she felt the nerves in her first match.
“It was a little nerve-wracking. I feel like this first game was my chance to shake off the jitters. It showed me what I need to work on for the next game. I’m just happy to learn from it. I think I played okay, but it wasn’t my best game,” she shared.
“Very, very excited. I think I was a little too excited and got a bit nervous tonight. After the first game, you realize what to expect and how the crowd will be. I feel more confident now. It’s going to be a good conference for us.”
With their record now even at 1-1 in Pool A, Smith and Choco Mucho aim to bounce back on Tuesday when they face the winless Nxled.
#WATCH: “IT WAS NERVE-WRACKING”
Marlee Smith admits she had to shake off some first-game jitters in her Choco Mucho debut 🏐
📹 @jonashdcd /Tiebreaker Times#PVL2025 pic.twitter.com/1gd3WAtt76
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) October 16, 2025
