CANDON, ILOCOS SUR – ZUS Coffee punched its ticket to the quarterfinals after surviving a feisty Choco Mucho side in four sets, 25-20, 25-22, 24-26, 25-19, in the 2025 Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference on Saturday night at the Candon City Arena.
The red-hot Thunderbelles remained unbeaten, extending their winning streak to six games en route to a league-best 6-0 record. Their flawless run secured a spot in the quarterfinals with two elimination round games still remaining.
“Very, very happy siyempre. Ayun lang. So, character test sa amin ‘to. So, okay naman yung results so ayun happy kami, of course,” said ZUS Coffee head coach Jerry Yee.
(C) PVL Images
After failing to level the set at 1-all, the Flying Titans came alive in the extended third frame. They overcame a 23-24 deficit following a Royse Tubino hit and back-to-back errors from Anna DeBeer.
Choco Mucho then carried that momentum into the fourth set, leading for most of the frame before Chinnie Arroyo took charge. She uncorked four straight points, including the last three in a 7-0 finishing run that turned an 18-19 deficit into a 25-19 win for ZUS Coffee.
“Commendable, siyempre. Masaya kami roon and sana magtuloy-tuloy and siyempre, iwo-work on pa rin namin,” added Yee.
DeBeer still paced the quarterfinals-bound Thunderbelles despite going quiet late in the fourth set, finishing with 20 points along with 10 excellent receptions.
The American reinforcement had plenty of support from her local teammates, with four more players tallying double-digit points. Arroyo led the charge with 11 points, while rookie middle blocker Riza Nogales also contributed 11 points, including seven blocks.
Jovelyn Gonzaga added 10 points, including four rejections, and 11 excellent digs, while first-year middle blocker AC Miner chipped in with 10 points.
Cloanne Mondonedo ran the offense smoothly, dishing out 26 excellent sets alongside three points. Alyssa Eroa remained reliable with 26 excellent digs and 14 excellent receptions.
ZUS Coffee was joined in the quarterfinals by PLDT, who secured their spot after the Flying Titans absorbed their fourth loss of the tournament.
The Thunderbelles will aim to extend their winning streak against Cignal on Thursday at 1:30 PM at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
(C) PVL Images
Meanwhile, Choco Mucho, despite suffering their third consecutive loss to fall to 2-4, still has a chance to make the playoffs if they win their remaining games.
Maddie Madayag delivered a memorable performance in the loss, finishing with 10 kill blocks to tie the record set by Riri Meneses. Meneses set the mark while playing for Petro Gazz in a 25-17, 25-18, 25-17 win over Perlas during the 2021 Open Conference in Ilocos Norte on July 30.
Madayag finished with a team-best 18 points, while Des Cheng tallied 12 markers. Isa Molde had an all-around performance with 11 points, 12 excellent receptions, and nine excellent digs.
Thang Ponce also played a key role, recording 21 excellent receptions and 19 excellent digs in the losing effort.
The Flying Titans will face defending champion Creamline next, also on Thursday, at 6:30 PM.
