Bea De Leon and Kat Tolentino fired the differential hits as Choco Mucho pushed defending champion Chery Tiggo to the brink of elimination, 25-21, 16-25, 25-17, 17-25, 18-16, in the 2022 Premier Volleyball League Open Conference’s Pool A, Sunday at the Paco Arena and Sports Center.
Tolentino bombed the Crossovers with 23 big points built on 19 attacks and four blocks all while leading the Flying Titans to a 2-0 start in Pool A.
With the scores locked at 9-all, Chery Nunag delivered a quick while Dindin Santiago-Mamabat committed an attack error which gave the Flying Titans a slim 11-9 advantage in the fifth set.
Jasmine Nabor then went for the surprise attack before Shaya Adorador converted an ace to knot the scores at 11.
A Nunag attack error, followed by miscommunication in the receive by Nunag and Deanna Wong, handed the Crossovers a two-point, 13-11 lead.
Kat Tolentino then took over, scoring three consecutive points to put Choco Mucho at match-point. However, Santiago-Manabat answered with an off-the-block to send the game to a deuce.
Bea De Leon scored a quick to once again put the Flying Titans a point away from the win, but a service error from Choco Mucho locked the game at 15.
De Leon fired a quick once again, but Santiago-Manabat negated the point for another deuce. Consecutive attack errors from Mylene Paat and Shaya Adorador sealed the 18-16 win for the Rebisco-backed squad.
“Well first of all I thank my players for following the instructions in the late game then I really commend Chery Tiggo,” said Choco Mucho head coach Oliver Almadro. “‘Yun nga, they came from two losses so they really played well today. Sobrang hirap ng game and luckily lang na Kat [Tolentino] delivered and we delivered at the right time.
“I was always telling them to make the point at the right time. No matter if you make 30 or 40 but as long as you make it in the right time e malaking bagay ‘yon,” he added.
Aduke Ogunsanya and Nunag each had 10 points for the Flying Titans while Cheng chipped in nine points along with 17 excellent digs and 12 excellent receptions.
Denden Lazaro-Revilla collected 18 digs and 12 receptions while Wong tossed 33 excellent sets laced with two points. De Leon, who sat out the third and fourth sets, had nine markers.
On the other hand, Santiago-Manabat’s 29-point outing went down the drain as the Crossovers dropped to 0-3 — a loss away from potential elimination.
Adorador delivered 13 points while Rachel Austero and Paat supplied nine points each.
Chery Tiggo figured in a slow start in the opening set but managed to come alive in the second set, even dominating Choco Mucho via a 25-16 outing. The team then succumbed to the Flying Titans’ superb blocking in the third set before eventually sending the series to a decider off a Maika Ortiz runner.
Choco Mucho will take on fellow undefeated squad Cignal on Tuesday, at 3:00 PM while Chery Tiggo will fight Black Mamba-Army on the same day at 6:00 PM.
