Choco Mucho star Sisi Rondina marveled at the unwavering determination of Creamline ace and Alas Pilipinas teammate Jema Galanza during their rivalry matchup on Tuesday night.
Galanza led the Cool Smashers’ charge, overwhelming the Flying Titans, 25-22, 25-20, 30-32, 25-20.
The team handed Choco Mucho its third loss in five games to start the 2024-25 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference.
“Jema ‘yan eh, syempre Jema ‘yan,” Rondina said when asked about Galanza’s performance.
The 28-year-old outside hitter from San Pedro, Laguna exhibited all-around brilliance throughout the intense match. She finished with 24 points – 22 from attacks, one from an ace, and another from a block – along with 17 excellent receptions and nine digs.
Beyond her impressive stats, Galanza showed incredible composure as she led a massive Creamline comeback in the third set.
The Cool Smashers were one set away from completing a sweep when Choco Mucho surged back. The Flying Titans built a 21-13 lead in the third after an 8-2 run fueled by six errors from the defending champions.
In an attempt to rally Creamline, a laser-focused Galanza went on a scoring streak, delivering five consecutive points that cut the Flying Titans’ lead to just four.
Galanza’s Herculean effort nearly secured the win for the Cool Smashers, as they had five chances to seal the match in straight sets.
However, Choco Mucho regained its composure and extended the match to a fourth set.
(C) PVL Images
The Adamson University product ultimately scored nine of Creamline’s last 17 points in the 30-32 third set.
After witnessing Galanza’s stellar performance in the third, Rondina couldn’t help but praise her national team teammate. She commended Galanza’s composure in critical moments and her ability to lead her team out of a significant deficit.
“Alam ko kung paano siya maglaro and siyempre nakasama ko rin siya sa Alas. Grabe ‘yung composure niya and doon talaga ako tumitingala sa kanya kasi grabe siya magdala rin ng team. Napakakalmado and siyempre gawa, gawa talaga siya,” Rondina shared.
While acknowledging Choco Mucho’s efforts, Rondina also praised her own team for their resilience after falling 0-2 in the much-anticipated rematch of the last two All-Filipino Conference finals.
“Siyempre [ico-commend] ko pa rin ‘yung team namin kasi hindi namin binigay ng madali. Siyempre nilaban, sabi nga ni coach kanina nagpapasalamat siya kasi ang dami niyang nakikitang improvements kahit papaano,” said the former league MVP.
“Personally naman, masaya ako kasi nakakabalik na rin paunti-unti. Ayun, tinrabaho ng Creamline and kitang kita naman ‘yun kung paano nila nakukuha ‘yung panalo.”
