Choco Mucho overcame a slow start to secure its sixth consecutive victory at the expense of the struggling Petro Gazz, with a score of 18-25, 25-23, 25-15, 25-16, in the Premier Volleyball League Second All-Filipino Conference on Thursday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
The Flying Titans adjusted their defense to recover from the opening set loss and clinch another crucial win against the error-prone Angels, tying with Chery Tiggo for the second spot with identical 6-1 records.
“Nag-adjust lang kami sa receive, ayun lang talaga yung naging problema namin. Sabi ko nung first set, ang naging problema talaga yung service receive,” said Choco Mucho head coach Dante Alinsunurin.
“Importante tiyagain namin, gaganda rin yung receive namin. Yun nagkataon talaga na nagtama yung floor defense namin, yung blocking kaya nakuha yung second,” he added.
After prioritizing defense, the Flying Titans bounced back to secure a tight win in the second frame before dominating the third set with a lopsided victory, taking a 2-1 lead.
Carrying momentum from the last two sets, the Flying Titans dominated the fourth frame and led by as much as nine points, 18-9, after Regine Arocha converted back-to-back hits.
Though the Angels attempted to mount a comeback several times, it was not enough as Bea De Leon, Sisi Rondina, and even Thang Ponce contributed crucial points that sealed Choco Mucho’s victory.
“Maraming salamat sa naging performance namin. Siguro laking tulong yung panalo namin sa magiging kumpiyansa namin sa susunod na game,” added Alinsunurin.
Sisi Rondina once again shone as the star of the Flying Titans’ offense with 17 points, accompanied by 10 excellent receptions and nine excellent digs after an hour and 46 minutes of play.
Kat Tolentino supplied 13 points with 10 attacks, two aces, and one block for the Rebisco-backed squad, while Isa Molde contributed 10 points.
Thang Ponce, meanwhile, demonstrated another impressive defensive performance with 20 excellent digs and nine excellent receptions.
On the other hand, the Angels, who won their first four outings in the tournament, have now dropped their last four games to fall to 4-4, tying with F2 Logistics at the sixth spot.
Grethcel Soltones and Jonah Sabete topped the scoring column for the struggling Petro Gazz with 19 and 18 points, respectively. Djanel Cheng, the team’s starting setter, played sparingly in the contest.
Although the Angels kept pace with the Flying Titans in attacks (54-51), blocks (6-8), and aces (6-6), their 28 errors ultimately made the difference, as Choco Mucho committed only a total of 13.
Choco Mucho will attempt to further extend its streak against F2 Logistics on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City, while Petro Gazz will seek to end its slump against the also-ran Farm Fresh earlier that day at 2:00 p.m.
