Choco Mucho turns to Tolentino in the crunch, discharges Motolite

Kat Tolentino, Choco Mucho’s first scoring option, didn’t have second thoughts slamming down the key points in the stretch.

Faced with a Motolite team determined to extend the match, Choco Mucho went all-in with its 6-foot-2 opposite spiker on Wednesday night to preserve a 19-25, 25-21, 25-15, 28-26 victory in the Premier Volleyball League Open Conference and keep its sights on a spot in the semifinals.

“The last three balls, all I wanted was to score for the team and finish the game for them,” said Tolentino, who scored four of her game-high 27 points in the rough fourth set at Filoil Flying V Centre.

After handily winning the third set, Motolite put up a gallant stand through University of the Philippines stalwarts Isa Molde and Tots Carlos, who kept the match close and thrice took set point.

But each time the Motolite Spikers tried to close it out, Choco Mucho countered to stay within a whisper of a win.

“I knew I wanted this set; I mean, I wasn’t even thinking of a fifth set,” Tolentino said in steering her team to a 6-6 record. “I knew my team had my back, they trusted me with those points and we all played as one.”

It was the fourth straight victory for the Flying Titans, who remain in contention for the Open Conference semifinals. But the road is not easy. Choco Mucho needs to win its remaining matches to qualify.

In inflicting Motolite’s second straight defeat and fifth overall in 12 games, Choco Mucho also avenged its first-round loss to its opponent, when the Flying Titans blew a two-sets-to-none lead.

Cherry Nunag erupted with 10 points as PetroGazz logged a 25-21, 25-14, 25-12 win over Chef’s Classics in the other game. The Angels notched their seventh straight victory in an 8-2 card.