Marina Tushova’s record-breaking performance powered Capital1 past Choco Mucho in a thrilling five-set encounter, 13-25, 25-21, 18-25, 25-20, 15-13, to rise to solo third in Pool B of the 2024 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Reinforced e on Thursday at the Philsports Arena.
Tushova unleashed 45 points, setting the highest scoring output in league history. She surpassed the previous record of 44 points set by Dominican Priscilla Rivera of Akari during the 2022 Reinforced Conference.
Rivera achieved her record in a five-set win against the Flying Titans.
Tushova also set the attacking record with 43 kills, edging out Kia Bright’s 41 kills from her time with BanKo Perlas during a five-set loss to PayMaya in the 2018 Reinforced Conference.
In addition to her offensive prowess, Tushova showcased superb defensive skills with 18 excellent receptions and 12 excellent digs.
“All game, I felt like I’m not doing enough. That’s why I kept pushing myself to do more,” said the powerful Russian spiker following her jaw-dropping performance.
“So about this 45 points, it’s good for sure, but it doesn’t mean I’m at the top of my career or better than anyone else. It’s just one game, and today it was like this,” she added.
(C) PVL Images
Tushova’s 45-point outing was capped off with a game-winning back-row attack, helping the Solar Spikers – who had only won a single game in the previous conference – secure their second consecutive victory.
“Masaya ako from the very beginning of this tournament. Ang laki ng inimprove ng team ko, hindi ko ma-contain ‘yung happiness ko. Now, nandito pa si Marina. Sabi ko nga I would rather see you on my team than the other side,” said Capital1 head coach Roger Gorayeb.
The victory allowed the Solar Spikers to improve their standing to 2-2, moving up to third place in Pool B.
No other player from Capital1 breached the double-digit mark, with Des Clemente and Julia Ipac scoring seven and six points, respectively.
Iris Tolenada recorded 17 excellent sets along with five points, while rookie Roma Mae Doromal registered 16 excellent receptions and 12 excellent digs.
Capital1 will look to sustain its momentum when they face ZUS Coffee on Tuesday at 3:00 PM at the same venue.
(C) PVL Images
On the other hand, the Flying Titans dropped to 1-3 in the standings, tied with Petro Gazz.
Greek import Zoi Faki had a bounce-back performance after being benched in their previous game, scoring 28 points to no avail.
Dindin Santiago-Manabat contributed 16 points with 12 attacks, two blocks, and two aces. Meanwhile, Maddie Madayag and Royse Tubino added eight points each.
Choco Mucho will aim to recover when they face Petro Gazz on Tuesday at 5:00 PM.
