Choco Mucho made sure that it would win this time around.
After letting Game 1 slip away, the Flying Titans seized control early and never looked back.
They took Game 2 against Cignal, 25-23, 25-22, 25-22, in the Premier Volleyball League Second All-Filipino Conference semifinals on Saturday at the Philsports Arena.
The Rebisco-backed squad was poised to take the opener after securing the first two sets of Game 1, only to fall flat in the end, unable to subdue the HD Spikers’ comeback.
However, Choco Mucho seemed to have finally learned from its mistake and showed poise under pressure, surviving three tight sets to send the series to a winner-take-all Game 3 on Tuesday.
“Pumunta kami dito talaga yung mindset talaga namin makabawi kami sa pagkatalo nung Game One. More on nag-deliver yung player talaga,” said Choco Mucho head coach Dante Alinsunurin as they suffered a 18-25, 23-25, 25-14, 25-19, 15-10 collapse last Thursday.
“Credit talaga sa players kasi tinrabaho talaga nila mula first point hanggang matapos yung game.”
Choco Mucho found itself in the same position it was in back in Game 1 after racing to a 2-0 set advantage in Game 2.
Not wanting to repeat the same mistake twice, the Flying Titans held back a surging Cignal. They overcame a slim 17-18 disadvantage after Kat Tolentino’s searing backrow attack went through the HD Spikers blockers.
That kick-started a 5-0 run to put her side ahead by four, 22-18.
Jovelyn Gonzaga stopped the bleeding with a cross-court hit, but back-to-back hits from Tolentino pushed the Flying Titans to match point, 24-19.
Gonzaga and Gel Cayuna engineered a 3-0 run to keep Cignal alive, but that proved to be it. The former committed a service error that ended the match after an hour and 33 minutes of action.
“Talagang may mga konting struggle kami sa loob ng court pero nakapag-adjust agad kami and thankful na nakuha ulit namin yung Game Two,” said Alinsunurin.
Sisi Rondina fired a game-high 23 points on 20 attacks, two blocks, and one ace to go along with eight excellent receptions. Meanwhile, Tolentino chipped in 15 points on 13 attacks and two blocks.
Maddie Madayag added eight markers, while Isa Molde had eight as well along with 10 excellent digs and eight excellent receptions.
On the other hand, Gonzaga paced Cignal with 13 points, 10 excellent digs, and seven excellent receptions while Riri Meneses and Ces Molina had 11 points each.
