The Choco Mucho Flying Titans. PVL Media Bureau
MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – Choco Mucho climbed back from two sets down en route to a 20-25, 19-25, 25-15, 25-20, 18-16 reverse sweep of PLDT in the 2024-25 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference Quarterfinals on Saturday at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig.
With this, the Flying Titans are now one victory away from claiming a spot in the next round.
Sisi Rondina fired eight points alone in the deciding chapter of Game 1, including the match-clinching attack to secure the comeback win.
"Walang tumitigil hangga't 'di pa tapos," said Rondina of her team's grit during the postgame press conference.
The ace spiker showed her all-around prowess, stuffing the stat sheet with 31 points on 29 attacks and two service aces to go with 15 excellent digs and 12 excellent receptions.
Interestingly, this encounter was anticipated to be a duel between her and PLDT star Savi Davison. It lived up to the hype, as Davison dropped 25 points and 19 excellent receptions in what turned out to be an epic thriller in five long sets.
Holding a significant four-point lead in Set 5, 12-8, the Flying Titans eventually saw themselves in a race to 18 after Davison and Fiolla Ceballos led a PLDT comeback late in the match.
But Dell Palomata, in an unfortunate turn of events for the PLDT side, suffered the most crucial service error, gifting the violet jerseys a 17-16 cushion.
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And then, as mentioned, it was Rondina who finished things up, firing an off-the-block kill on the hands of PLDT defenders to put a period on the two-hour, 21-minute quarters battle.
"'Yun lang talaga ‘yung nasa isipan ko kanina. Contribute lang nang contribute, tulong lang kung saan ako pwedeng tumulong," said Rondina.
"Lumabas din talaga ‘yung kagustuhan ng lahat na manalo, ‘yung teamwork, saka ‘yung tiwala sa mga coaches and sa mga teammates ko," she added.
Sarge Royse Tubino made her presence felt, chipping in 20 points including crucial hits late in the decider. Isa Molde also tallied 11 points and 10 excellent receptions.
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Setter Mars Alba earned the Player of the Game nod after orchestrating Choco Mucho's offense with 16 excellent sets.
For the scoring of the losing side, Erika Santos had 14 points, Ceballos tallied 11, and Majoy Baron also logged 10.
We'll see more of this Rondina-Davison match-up in Game 2, set for Thursday, March 20, at the same Pasig venue. First serve is at 4 p.m.