CEBU CITY — Sisi Rondina-Rosales and Eya Laure made triumphant returns, steering Choco Mucho to a stunning reverse-sweep of the retooled Capital1, 22-25, 18-25, 25-17, 25-20, 15-8, in the 2026 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference Siklab Series on Saturday at the SM Seaside Cebu Arena here.
Rondina-Rosales and Laure, who were coming off their respective campaigns in the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026, helped the Flying Titans recover from a two-set deficit to spoil the Solar Spikers’ much-anticipated debut with their revamped lineup before a sold-out crowd.
Laure led Choco Mucho with 22 points, all from attacks, to go along with 15 excellent receptions and 11 excellent digs. Hometown hero Rondina-Rosales, meanwhile, finished with 12 points, including three of the team’s final six points in the deciding set.
(C) PVL Images
“Siguro in-accept nila ‘yung challenge ko after nung second set. Talagang nag-focus ako sa galit para sa kanila,” said Flying Titans head coach Dante Alinsunurin, drawing laughter from his players during the post-game press conference as he recalled challenging his team to respond after dropping the first two sets.
“Sinabi ko sa kanila na hindi ko kailangan kung magaling ka, kailangan ko ‘yung team na gustong manalo. ‘Yun siguro, na-challenge sila. Sobrang thankful ako sa naging response nila. Sana hindi ngayon lang ‘to, sana marami pa ring magawa sa next game namin,” he added.
After clawing back from a two-set deficit, Choco Mucho carried its momentum into the fifth set, racing to a 9-5 lead. However, Vanie Gandler refused to let Capital1 go down without a fight, delivering back-to-back points to pull the Solar Spikers within two.
Rondina-Rosales, however, rose to the occasion in front of her fellow Cebuanos, scoring three straight points to spark a 5-0 run that gave the Flying Titans a commanding 14-7 advantage.
Bella Belen briefly stemmed the tide with an emphatic block against the much taller Kat Tolentino, but Pia Abbu’s service error handed Choco Mucho the victory after two hours and 13 minutes of action.
Maddie Madayag finished with 11 points, while newcomer Lorene Toring contributed five points, including three kill blocks.
Alina Bicar dished out 16 excellent sets while sharing playmaking duties with Deanna Wong, while fellow newcomer Dawn Catindig anchored the defense with 16 excellent digs.
The Flying Titans will look to sustain their strong start when they face ZUS Coffee on Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
(C) PVL Images
On the other hand, it was a disappointing outcome for a Solar Spikers squad that made several key additions in the offseason, only to squander a commanding two-set lead and fall short in its season debut.
Erika Santos led Capital1 with 22 points.
Belen recorded a triple-double with 15 points on 13 attacks and two blocks, along with 15 excellent receptions and 15 excellent digs. Gandler also tallied 15 points, complemented by 14 excellent receptions.
Second overall pick Detdet Pepito, meanwhile, impressed in her debut with 29 excellent digs, while Julia Coronel recorded 27 excellent sets and five points in her first game as a Solar Spiker.
Capital1 will look to bounce back against Akari on Thursday at 1 p.m. at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
