ILOCOS NORTE—Choco Mucho played just well enough to hurdle struggling Cignal HD, as a 26-24, 25-12, 25-17 victory on Tuesday gave the Flying Titans a tie for the early lead in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Open Conference eliminations at PCV Socio-Civic Cultural Center in Bacarra.
Except for a first-set scramble, the Flying Titans proved too much for the HD Spikers as the last two sets weren’t even close, giving Choco Mucho a fourth straight win that matched Creamline.
“I admire the players, they’re really working hard, preparing a lot physically, mentally and spiritually,” said Choco Mucho coach Oliver Almadro.
Choco Mucho drew firepower from Kat Tolentino, Bea de Leon and Ponggay Gaston, and the Flying Titans pounced on the HD Spikers’ miscues and mishits to win pulling away.
Tolentino had 16 hits, including the last two that lifted the team in the opening frame. De Leon backed her up with 11 points, including three kill blocks, while Gaston finished with nine points, highlighted by a couple of power attacks in the fourth that helped secure the victory.
Surprisingly, the HD Spikers produced seven blocks, three more than the taller Choco Mucho side, but failed to draw the desired offense from the likes of Roselyn Doria and Janine Marciano, who finished with just nine and eight points, respectively.
Rachel Anne Daquis and Mae Vivas each added six points, while Norielle Ipac scored five hits for Cignal, which absorbed its third straight setback for a 1-4 slate.
Meanwhile, Creamline puts its unbeaten slate on the line against a previously unfancied team that has continued to stir up play as the Cool Smashers face the BaliPure Water Defenders on Wednesday.
So much is at stake in the 6 p.m. encounter, with the Cool Smashers seeking to stretch their win run to five in a bid to close in on one of the semifinal seats in the inaugural staging of the country’s first pro volley league.
But BaliPure is out to shock the league-leading squad the way it stunned Chery Tiggo in five sets last week. The Purest Water Defenders pulled off another come-from-behind win over Cignal HD last Sunday.