By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Choco Mucho Flying Titans finally clinched their first win of the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Reinforced Conference by taking down ZUS Coffee, 14-25, 25-20, 25-19, 25-18, on July 27, 2024, at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
Choco Mucho avoided disaster after receiving a demolition opening set loss and recovered in the last three sets to score a much-needed reverse sweep.
After an error-plagued performance in the first set that allowed ZUS Coffee to build the momentum heading into the second frame, Choco Mucho head coach Dante Alinsunurin deployed the necessary adjustments that kicked off their recovery period.
A major change that the seasoned tactician made in-game was replacing Choco Mucho’s reinforcement Zoi Faki when the second set began.
Due to fatigue and her offensive struggles, Faki was benched by Alinsunurin and did turn out well for the win-seeking Flying Titans.
Replacing Faki in the last three sets was their veteran outside hitter Royse Tubino who made the most out of her presence, providing the scoring load that the team needed in the last three sets.
As soon as Tubino entered the playing court, Choco Mucho’s All-Filipino lineup sparked their comeback and stunned the rolling ZUS Coffee team.
Despite giving up a lot of height in their frontline with the absence of Faki, the hardworking Choco Mucho middle blockers led by Maddie Madayag put up a great defensive stand against ZUS Coffee.
Tubino capped off her huge performance with 21 big points built from 19 successful attacks and also tallied five excellent receptions and three excellent digs.
Backstopping Tubino’s momentum-shifting outing was dynamic spiker Isa Molde who contributed 17 markers, 12 excellent digs, and six excellent receptions.
“Sa wakas, nanalo rin kami ngayong conference. Matagal namin itong hinintay. Sa dalawang game namin, talagang medyo down kami. Pero ngayon, siguro na-maximize lang talaga namin kung saan kami advantage sa opensa,” said Choco Mucho mentor Alinsunirin.
Chargers shine in comeback vs Angels
In another thrilling match, the Akari Chargers secured a dramatic reverse sweep against the Petro Gazz Angels, 23-25, 21-25, 25-23, 29-27, 16-14, at Philsports Arena.
The victory marks the Chargers’ strongest start in the league, tying them with the Cignal HD Spikers at the top of Pool B.
Perez powers HD Spikers to third win
Cignal HD Spikers continued their winning streak, defeating the Capital1 Solar Spikers 25-20, 25-17, 23-25, 25-13.
MJ Perez delivered a stellar performance with 23 points, including 20 attacks, 12 digs, and 15 receptions, earning her best player honors.
The HD Spikers lead Pool B with a 3-0 record and are well-positioned for the next pool round.
Upcoming Matches (Tuesday):
1 p.m. – Farm Fresh vs Galeries Tower
3 p.m. – Chery Tiggo vs Creamline
5 p.m. – Nxled vs PLDT
